SGU: Series 3 Ep 01 Survival
by Steve1911
Summary: The continuation of SGU from the end of "Gauntlet". Update; 15/02/12 Series 04 commenced. How does Eli survive, and what happens to Destiny and her uninvited crew of Humans. Do they make it to the next galaxy, or drift on in stasis for years...
1. Chapter 1

Hi to all. This is my first attempt ever at writing something like this. I too was dissapointed by the sudden end of the SGU series, so this is my take on how I would of wanted it to continue. I have tried to stay true to the characters as best I can, but as most will know it isn't easy to get inside thier heads. I don't believe that the producers of the series would have taken the show this way, but there was enough dynamics going on to allow for many different continuations. I have read some of the stories on FanFiction, and have really enjoyed all of them so far. As this is my first attempt, I am happy for all forms of constructive comments, but I have mapped out many episodes over S3 and S4 already (20 in each). I will try to update a couple of times a month. Please enjoy!

SGU s03e01

Survival

As Eli stood watching the blue waves of time go past on the observation deck, he smiled looking out over Destiny's shielded hull. He thought about his mom getting the chance to stand with him and see it for herself through the stones, as a warm rush filled his heart. He felt free from the ridicule of Nicholas Rush and knew that he had made the right decision by staying to fix the pod. He turned his attention to the task that lay before him, and leaving the observation deck behind, headed for the pod bay.

After inspecting the pod's circuits for hours he slowly came to the conclusion that they were going to be beyond repair. He just didn't have the ancient parts he needed to fix it. He sat down in front of the pod with his head in his hands, now starting to feel a sense of hopelessness creeping into his mind. As he looked at the broken stasis pod in front of him an overwhelming thought coursed through his mind... "I saw something..." Then, as the light bulb inside his head ignited he remembered. While he and Chloe were at the front of the ship hiding out, he had stumbled on several storage compartments when using the CI console. He remembered reading something in ancient about a pod interface room that loosely translated to "workshop".

"Well, I got about two weeks, and 3 space suits... and nothing to lose... except for my life." He said out loud to himself.

Eli left the stasis pods in a rush toward where the suits were stored. He fitted one suit and checked the time he had for life support. Firing up a control interface he plotted a map of the way through to where he believed the storage compartments were, and within a few minutes he found them. Three of the four were airtight, the other was showing external damage that had vented any chance of life support, but it was being protected by Destiny's shield. He knew that he would only have a few days to explore as the extra power to open doors and vent rooms as was needed, would reduce the overall time that he had left.

Taking some keno balls, a keno sled, and a pistol from the armoury for "just in case", he began the dangerous journey toward the unstable and un-explored forward end of Destiny.

* * *

><p>Eli stood at the last door in the hallway where he and Chloe had returned from. Through the small port hole in the door he could see the gap in the upper deck that had sustained an impact, possibly by one of the drone ships crashing into Destiny's hull. He fitted the suit helmet and tested the system; he had six hours of air. Engaging the gravity boots he then vented the hallway to reduce the suction to the next compartment. A ping from the door panel confirmed him in the clear; he opened the door keeping a tight grip on the bulkhead. There was turbulence as the compartments equalized to the vacuum of space, but at least he was prepared for it this time.<p>

He moved through the next several corridors without incident and finally reached the area he needed to be. Closing the door behind him, he checked his remaining air; 4 hours. It had been slow going for about half a mile.

Eli said out loud, "This ship is freaking huge" seeing no one was around to be offended by his comment. He continued on his way finally reaching the first of the storage compartments. There was a larger area across from where Eli stood, to which he soon turned his attention too. "There must be a..." as he found it..."console... yes!" To Eli's delight it lit up when he touched it. He started to decipher the CI's commands and was getting ready to open the first door when a beeping noise came from his suit. "No!" Eli cursed; he had used half his air supply and needed to work faster.

That created the next problem; he would use more air and power working faster. Eli started thinking out loud; "If this area is airtight, I should be able to restore life support and get out of the suit." He said factually. "And yeah... you son of a bitch... that would be right... I can't from this console; it's locked out at the main control interface." His tone becoming more and more frustrated as he checked the area for damage. Again he tried to override the system and turn on life support, but to no avail; Destiny simply would not allow it and continued to deny his commands. He looked at the suit, remembering his air... two and a half hours remained as time had gotten away with him working on the console.

Eli succumbed to his mortal existence and cursed at his own urge of trying to override the CI. "I have to get back!" He yelled at himself to break his grasp on the console. As he walked off, he punched a master code he knew into the door switch and opened the first storage room outer shield door. "Cool, it worked". He smiled; pleased with this small win, as he pressed the main door switch.

He stood in amazement at the sight before him; "Holy Shit!" he murmured under his breath, "Colonel Young would love this!" Before him lay rows of weapons and space suits, more than enough for the entire crew. "Space suits!" he grabbed the first one... no charge, the next; no charge, and again; no charge..."Dam it" he walked down the row a few steps and tested some more; to no avail. He had to leave, and leave now.

Eli closed the door and headed toward the way back. Feeling defeated and still not sure that he would find a way to fix the pod, his immediate thought was to get back to the relative safety of the control interface. He was almost back when the suit started beeping at him again... a half hour of life support was left. Thinking on his feet and about his feet, he reduced the setting of the gravity boots to two thirds and started taking longer strides rather than walking to speed up. He reached the air-locked corridor with only five minutes of air left, hit the door button and went though; punching the button on the other side. He held onto the switch pad and reinstated life support within a few seconds.

His suit was now beeping madly as he removed his helmet and took several deep breaths of air panting his way through them. "That was too close" he gasped at himself; "Waaaayyyy too close..."

* * *

><p>Eli was tired and starting to worry about the decisions he had made. "I am the math kid, not an explorer..." He murmured heading toward the bridge. Eli powered up the main bridge console without any of the others running. He unlocked the console in the storage area to allow life support to be initialized there and was about to shut down the bridge CI when he looked up at the empty screens, realizing the amount of power he had just used.<p>

"I'm sorry" he said quietly to Destiny, "But I know that there must be a way for me to survive". "I know you don't want me dead, as you have had plenty of chance to do that."

Like Nicholas Rush, Eli had come to understand that Destiny was more than just a ship; _Destiny was an entity in her own right._ She had shown an extraordinary Artificial Intelligence and understanding of her now human crew, even running battle scenarios through Col. Young's mind during his sleep. Suddenly, the console beeped at Eli... looking down he read the log message in ancient; it roughly translated to "Cargo unit 20.0.11, Stasis Pod supplies."

Tears streamed down Eli's dirty tired face as the area flashed on the console. About ten minutes further from where he had just been at the armoury he found, was the storage area for the pods. Destiny had come through to save the life of yet another human for which she had a need. Eli was needed because of his high mathematical intelligence and his ability to surpass Rush's intellect by a marginal amount. Destiny _knew_ that Eli's life was as important not only to him, but to _Destiny's mission._

Eli wiped the tears from his eyes and powered down the CI console. "Thankyou..." he said softly and lent down giving the console a small kiss. He had been awake for about 28 hours and needed rest. To help conserve power, he decided to sleep in the shuttle to allow Destiny to save power by shutting off life support. Being the only human running around, he would have more than enough air to reach the shuttle. Grabbing his things from his cabin he walked by torchlight through the dark slightly bluish glowing corridors to the shuttle and got in. The life support of the shuttle started up the moment the door opened as Eli climbed inside. He went to the main control console and told Destiny to power down all life support systems, then checked the shuttles small amount of supplies and water. Eli felt a calm come over his mind recalling what had just happened; knowing that Destiny _wanted_ him to live. He lay down exhausted and fell deeply into sleep.

Eli awake some 10 hours later having slept in the knowledge that he would find all he needed to repair the broken pod. Destiny wanted to help him and she had known that he may have easily exhausted all the suits trying the wrong storage rooms. In fact, Destiny calculated that the compartment he needed would have been the last, and he wouldn't have had time to reach it in the suit. There was a lot of damage between the bridge and this area; Destiny had no way of knowing if the circuits were going to overload or burn out when life support was engaged and the sensors were off line.

Eli opened the door of the shuttle forgetting life support wasn't running; "Opps!" he quickly realized as the air rushed past him into the slowly reducing pressure of the hull, and closed the door. Today was looming as life or death for him, but he didn't show it. He drank and ate in the shuttle before reactivating Destiny's life support and stepped through the door. His moment of truth had come; he had to be the master of his own fate, no matter what lie before him. Eli took a deep breath contemplating this and headed toward the bridge.

Turning on the bridge CI he said with a scared laugh; "Good morning Destiny, let's see what adventures math boy and Destiny can have today." The truth be known, it was actually late afternoon earth time, but at the other side of the universe that was insignificant. Eli's checks were complete and the remote forward console he was to use later appeared to be responding well. Another message appeared for him from Destiny; "Don't forget to check your suit support systems." Now, more convinced than ever, Eli spoke to Destiny as a _Living Being_, not a ship.

"Thanks... I won't." He smiled, turned of anything that wasn't required, leaving the bridge Eli headed toward his own destiny...

* * *

><p>Eli was now in the suit and was completing the self test sequence of the life support. For as intelligent as Eli was, he had never been properly trained in survival techniques, which had made this journey even more dangerous. Luckily, he remembered that the suits carry a water supply that worked similar to a camelback and had filled it up. The difficulty was that space suits usually required assistance from another person to put on, and insure that there were no other problems once fitted. Without this help it was hard going; but it had been fine the last time.<p>

It is a bad thing to assume that all will be ok again _this _time_. The first rule of survival is; never assume anything!_

After checking the air time of six hours was correct, he fitted the helmet and locked it in place. Final system check confirmed all was well with the suits integrity, so Eli vented the corridor again and hung on to the bulkhead as he opened the door. The vacuum equalized and he started the 2 hr journey back to the cargo area. He had only engaged two thirds of the gravity boots power to help move faster, but it was still hard going. He was concentrating on the task ahead when the suit's alarm interrupted his thoughts; "What the f...?" he looked at the suit control to find an air warning flashing. Somehow, he had lost nearly an extra hour of air.

Panic and fear now filled his whole body as he fought to control his mind. "Shit, shit, shit...!" he yelled trying to correct what was wrong; but it had no effect and wouldn't. The suit he was now wearing had a strange substance that was part of the air supply system that worked in a similar way to a dye in an air-conditioning system to find leaks. It would stain the area around the leak to give the user visual conformation of a failure. Although the integrity of the suit was still intact, the air ducting had microscopic fractures from the aging material that was located outside of the internal pressure seal. He would not have seen this fault as it was behind his right shoulder, and even if he had, without the understanding, wouldn't have known any better of it.

"Maybe if I reduce the air pressure it will last longer." He said as he pushed though the stress going through his mind. It worked, but it only gave him precious minutes... but that maybe enough, so he pushed onwards.

As Eli ran to the next door he could see the area ahead of him; the suit was now constantly beeping and doing its best to keep him alive. Finally he reached the last door and entered the storage area, running to the console. He booted up the system and immediately, Destiny powered up the life support for him before he had the chance. The all clear sounded, and he removed his helmet; Eli looked at the suit control... 1 hour of air remaining... he slumped to the floor and began to laugh uncontrollably out of pure fear.

He was alone..., he was scared..., and he had never been so afraid in all his life; it didn't matter that all he knew and loved was across the other side of the universe. It was just him... and Destiny in the cold vacuum of space.

"Ok math boy, how do we fix this?" "Aw man, I should have just tried to fix the pod with what I could. Why did I even try this...? Is this real, or just a dream like Young had?" Thoughts escaped from his mouth without him even knowing. The console beeped; Eli leaned forward and climbed his way up using the console.

"Don't give up on me Eli... Ginn" read the message.

Remembering Ginn brought more tears to Eli's already soaked eyes, thoughts of her ignited the neuron pathways of his mind with mixed feelings, but most of all; what he had to do to Ginn and Amanda's consciousness to save Rush.

"You son of a bitch Rush!" he moaned; but that was what he needed right here and now... anger. His mind sharpened as he channelled the anger he felt at Rush, looking at the console he focused on where the pods were stored. All indicators pointed to it being airtight and safe, so he sent off a Keno to survey the area. The report come back confirming the console readings, as Eli wasted no time making his way toward the door. It took a good ten or twelve minutes to reach, even more if he had opened all the others he had passed.

"20.0.11" was the markings inscribed in the doors centre bracing. With bated breath, he pushed the green control button...

The door moved, but only slightly. He played with the door control and punched it hard in frustration yelling; "Fucking open up!" Well over worrying about his degrading language skills.

Nothing... he drew the pistol from its holster and used it to jam in the gap. It moved it enough that he could get his arm through, but more importantly; see inside. Stasis pods... at least six from where he could see. His mind was becoming more convinced that he would survive this.

"Weapons room...!" Eli ran back down the corridor to the armoury that he had found last time and opened the blast door. He entered and immediately saw what he needed... a big gun! It wasn't that he was going to shoot the door, just to use it as a pry bar to open it further. The Ancient weapon was heavy and he strained under the weight of it, but he got it out to near the console and grabbed the keno sled that he had left there. As he dumped it on the sled he heard the ping from the console.

He read the message; "Life support failing... one hour until toxic atmosphere."

"This is not good Destiny..." barked Eli; shaking his head in disbelief. He picked up the keno remote and drove the sled toward the corridor. It took him a good ten minutes again to get to the door, but he had logged the keno control time to countdown for one hour; "48:00 minutes" as it read. He jammed the barrel of the weapon in the gap and with all his might, pushed. Success! It opened the whole way. Eli jammed the gun between both sides to stop it closing behind him, and stepped carefully inside.

* * *

><p>Looking around the room he found parts, complete pods, and test equipment; well, that's what it looked like to him. He walked to the first complete stasis pod and touched the controls; it was dead.<p>

"There has to be a charging point somewhere in here" he exclaimed. "No good having a test bench without power" as he searched the room. The keno control beeped; "30.00 Minutes" by the time he looked. Eli could now feel the air starting to get stale and thin, he had to work fast to survive this. He knew the suit wasn't the way back; he had to make a stand here and pray for the best. Still moving franticly he dragged some crates out of the way near the wall. "All right...!" He yelled with great enthusiasm as it uncovered a wall panel CI. He touched the control buttons and it sprang to life.

Going through the logs he found that several repairs were needed on most of the units... all except one that just needed a power supply connected; "5-0-0-13." Beep! "15.00 minutes"; Eli was starting to feel the effects of low oxygen and the thinning air. He had no time to retrieve the space suit and get in it; this was it... this was here and now. If he couldn't fix it, he would die surrounded by damaged stasis pods unable to get in. He started to cough from the taste of the stale air.

"Destiny, I need your help!" he cried. The screen flickered along with the lights. "Where is the test power supply?" he begged. The screen in front of him ran through thousands of diagrams in milliseconds. Destiny was using her full processing power to find it. The screen flashed to a stop; it was an electrical circuit of the cargo space he stood in, and behind to Eli's right was what he needed. He rushed to it and fell over from the lack of balance in his air staved body. He reached out and touched the black pad on the floor watching it light up. He got up and moved slowly to the pod that had the number 5-0-0-13; luckily there were only ten pods to pick from.

He found it and tried to drag it but by now his muscles felt like lead and it wouldn't budge. Losing his concentration he slipped and landed on the floor. The keno went off again... "5.00 minutes". Eli succumbed to his own mortality and stayed on the ground unable to get his muscles to work from the lack of oxygen in his blood. His breathing laboured trying to get every last drop of air.

"I'm sorry Destiny, I can't move it... thank-you for trying to help me but I have let you down..." his words trailed off softly.

Destiny heard his plea and responded. Eli felt the weight of his sore tired body disappear. His head lifted without any effort as he turned toward the keno control beeping the 2.00 minute countdown. An ancient part floated past his eye line; Eli pushed up from the floor trying to control his movement in zero gravity. If he had the strength, Eli would have laughed as a pod started to head towards him. He reached out and connected with it just as it floated in front of him. His own inertia pushed the pod to the power plate and it lit up, opening the door. Precious oxygen blasted Eli's face as he breathed deeply. Without gravity, the fresh oxygen just hung in the room giving him the chance he needed. The pod was the wrong number, and taking a deep breath of this fresh air he dove towards the pod he needed. Catching it, he kicked off the wall toward the plate and landed between them.

Removing the damaged pod only required a button press to release, and off it went floating to the other side of the room. Eli fitted the good pod to the plate and pressed the control. The door opened and another jet of fresh air shot out at him as he gasped as much as he could. The pod only needed to be charged for a few seconds to last many years; such was the technological efficiency of the Ancients. Before Eli closed the door he said softly "Thanks Destiny, clever move..." As the stasis pod door slid down a message came on the screen across the room. Eli smiled reading it as he froze.

"See you in three years... Your welcome"

* * *

><p>Destiny continued on in FTL for the next year. She had released Franklin, Amanda, and Ginn from her storage data banks which allowed the four of them to converse with each other. The by-product of the power Eli had saved by allowing Destiny to shut the life support off nine days earlier than expected. Eli had proven to Destiny beyond all logic that he <em>belonged on the ship.<em> When it came for the time of his passing, she would upload his consciousness to her own memory for the knowledge... and the company. Yes; the Ancient Ship was becoming more "human" as time was passing.

Destiny received a sub space signal that was immediately recognised; from the Ancients. Without disturbing the stasis pods, she jumped out of FTL flight and came to a halt. A large worm hole was forming to her starboard side; with a flash of light, a ship leapt forward and slowed to sub light engines. The ship was ancient design not that different to the seeding ship they came across in the last galaxy, and about half the size of Destiny. It positioned itself over the top of Destiny and attached to her hull. A shield appeared around the two ships creating an atmosphere between them, with a command link connecting to her memory banks.

An Alien beamed onto the bridge and initiated all working systems, careful not to disturb the pods. He told Destiny that they were the repair ship that had been requested for her by the Ursini. Just before they had sacrificed themselves against the drones to save Destiny, they sent a message showing the next galaxy in her range. Travelling through a microscopic wormhole undetectable in the emptiness of space, the message had gone straight to an ancient service ship re-named "The Jackson"; SG1's legendry defeat of the Ori had spread across the universe. The Ursini wanted to apologise for deceiving Destiny and the humans but were afraid they may get attacked by them after what they had done. The service ship was now powering Destiny's main functions; Ginn, Amanda, and Frankland all appeared in holographic form to the Ursini technician on the bridge.

Communications without language barriers began with Amanda asking what was happening.

"We have come to restore Destiny to full operational condition" was his matter of fact reply. "Upgrades to the shields, weapons, sub-light and FTL engines, power storage, life support, and hull repairs; the stargate will remain the same". "It will not have a power upgrade while humans inhabit the ship."

Frankland asked the obvious one: "Why not?"

"Destiny cannot be swayed from the path of knowledge she seeks" was the Ursini's reply. Before Frankland could inquire, two more Aliens beamed to the bridge. Even in holographic form, Amanda and Frankland took a step back and gasped: Two Asgard beings stood before them.

"Hello Amanda" said the first Asgard, "I see you have become part of Destiny. I am D.J."

Amanda put it together quickly; "D.J, short for Daniel Jackson I take it? I thought Asgard used Norse names... Like Thor".

"After the destruction of our race we didn't see much use in that any more". He explained "This is O'Neill"; showing his hand to the Asgard beside him. "Daniel Jackson of Earth found us and assisted in ways he has yet to discover. This is how we will honour those that have helped to regain our race."

Asgard O'Neill spoke directly to Franklin; "If we upgrade the stargate, your leaders will want to take Destiny as their own for her power and abilities".

Ginn spoke up..."That sounds familiar".

Asgard O'Neill continued; "Destiny has a mission already, and has amounted enormous data about millions of galaxies across the universe. This information will be shared with all beings of the known universe at the same time, to avoid conflict. Every being will know the truth".

Franklin conceded to the reasoning of the Asgard. They were right about Earths leaders; Destiny would simply become more Ancient Alien tech to play with and study. He now knew that Destiny would see that as a threat to the mission, and take action. His reply to Asgard O'Neill was simple.

"I understand". Then he added; "Many of the people on board really want to go home".

Asgard D.J answered, "When the opportunity arrives, we will assist." "Do any of you want to return to human form?" All of them said yes. Asgard D.J continued: "We have some friends that can help with that... they are The Nox". With that their holograms disappeared as they were removed from Destiny's memory bank by the Jackson.

* * *

><p>Both Asgard returned to the Jackson while a small army of Ursini beamed in all over Destiny. Robots on the hull preformed any dangerous work outside while the shield circuits were being upgraded. The Ursini were an amazingly talented race of beings that had both ancient knowledge and craft skills abundant. They were a peaceful people by nature, but would defend themselves if needed. They knew what had happened when Destiny docked with the seeding ship, and held no malice against the humans or the one called David Telford.<p>

They found the stasis pod that Eli had barely made it into and carefully moved it to the main pod area. As the Asgard were giving the other three human consciousnesses found in Destiny's memory new bodies (thanks to the Asgard cloning techniques), they installed another 3 pods. The Ursini fitting the pods, having a good sense of humour, joked about what the humans would think when they saw the three new additions to their race.

In a galaxy far, far away (opps... wrong series) Asgard O'Neill was greeted by the Nox people. He carried with him a small golden container about the size of a jewellery box. Inside was the consciousnesses of Franklin, Ginn, and Amanda; behind him several Ursini controlled coffin like containers on keno style carriage boards. The wind blew softly through the trees of the Nox's world.

"I have come to request a favour of our old friends" O'Neill announced. "These three Humans need our assistance; there mission is of great importance to all sentient beings".

"What is their purpose?" inquired the quietly spoken Nox.

"They are aboard Destiny, and _she_ needs their assistance and objectivity." O'Neill answered

The Nox then inquired;" Where are their bodies?"

O'Neill explained. "Both of the female humans became trapped in the comunication stones when one was murdered. The male human connected with Destiny's interface chair trying to save the ship, but his human atomic structure was disrupted in the process and dispersed."

"You have cloned replacements for them?" The Nox smiled as O'Neill bowed his head. "Please, come with us". And with that they all vanished from view.

Two days later, Franklin was sitting at a table just staring at his own hands. A Nox woman came to him carrying a basket of fruit.

"Are you hungry Mr Franklin?" She politely inquired.

Frankland looked at her and said; "This doesn't seem real. I can remember being alive and then..." he trailed off his words and acknowledged her question. "Yes I am".

Placing the basket on the table she put her hand reassuringly on his shoulder. "It will take some time for your mind to understand what has happened... be gentle on yourself Mr Franklin". She leant down and gave him a soft kiss on the side of his brow to comfort _and show_ he was real.

Amanda and Ginn had become good friends while aboard Destiny's main frame. This continued on as they settled back into their new bodies. Amanda was especially happy to have a fully functional body back again, and the Asgard had removed all traces of the murder memories from Ginn and Amanda's mind. The trio stayed with the Nox for the next month learning about their history and culture, and working through their own feelings about how they had come to be in human form again. The Nox were a warm and welcoming people intertwined with nature that had some truly amazing abilities and technology.

It wasn't long until the Asgard returned. Asgard O'Neill beamed down to the planet and was once again welcomed with open arms by the Nox. The trio had formed strong bonds with the Nox people and were grateful for their second chances at life. The Nox woman that Franklin had become quite fond of hugged him unconditionally and said her good-byes. "Remember, _be gentle on yourself _Mr Frankland" she whispered as she let go. In the next moment, they were aboard the Asgard ship and heading back to Destiny.


	2. Chapter 2

**SGU s03e02**

**Surprise**

Exiting the worm hole, the Asgard ship slowed to a complete stop just off the bow of Destiny. The Jackson was still connected to her hull and the repairs were now in the final stages. It had been eons since Destiny was in this condition and the Ancients would have been proud of how she had survived her million year journey across the universe. The Asgard and Ursini had preformed an incredible upgrade to her systems, without losing Destiny's "personality". Four more beings materialized on the bridge of Destiny.

"Welcome back" greeted the Ursini on the bridge. Amanda immediately noticed a slight time sync difference from the Ursini's mouth to his sound. He continued, addressing the issue.

"Destiny is able to convert any spoken language to that which you understand. The more difficult the translation, the longer the delay may be, but over time you won't notice it so much." He returned to the CI console to complete his work.

Asgard D.J took over the conversation. "We have been upgrading all of Destiny's systems while you have been resting. Shall I explain more?"

The three humans nodded; they were in awe of the work that had been done in the past 4 months.

"We have increased the original power storage by 200% allowing longer FTL travel time between galaxies. As the universe is expanding, the distances are becoming greater and more power is required to cross."

Franklin interrupted. "Wow, 200% increase... that's massive!"

Asgard D.J bowed his head and continued explaining in simple terms. "Several of the power storage generators were badly damaged, that is why you could only raise 40% power. This new power will not be accessible to the gate room as we have said."

Although tempted by the obvious question again, Frankland kept quiet. His time with Nox had shown him a different perspective of the universe, and although he missed Earth, he wanted to stay with Destiny. The Asgard resumed his explanation of the upgrades.

"We have increased the shield capacitors to withstand bombardment of small stray asteroids and any drone ships you may encounter in the future. They will be effective against an Ori ship, as we have learned there were several abandoned after their awakening."

The mention of the word "Ori" was enough to send shivers through the three humans on the bridge. Although the Ori were gone, it was absolutely possible that abandoned ships had been taken over by other factions and races. Even the remaining Asgard were concerned about this; the Ori ships were powerful vessels and dangerous in the wrong hands.

Franklin again interrupted. "Can Destiny defend against an Ori ship attack?"

"Franklin!"... Amanda scolded him for interrupting again. Not fazed by Franklin's interruption, the Asgard calmly replied to his question.

"We have upgraded all the weapon systems aboard Destiny, with the main weapon now capable of penetrating Ori shield technology."

Franklin kept his thoughts to himself, but his smile spoke volumes without words. The universe was dangerous enough without having to deal with stray Ori ships run by power hungry factions like Lucian Alliance. The thought of being able to destroy an Ori ship gave him great comfort.

Ginn asked Asgard D.J further questions. "What about the life support systems? Have they been repaired?"

"We were impressed with your attempts in the dome to produce sustenance and oxygen. The vegetation has been replanted with many of the varieties that were originally there, and some new ones we have found useful. Would you like to see?"

Asgard D.J turned and walked out of the bridge with Amanda, Ginn, and Franklin in toe. It felt strange for them to be walking around Destiny again after being liberated within her systems for some time. The ship still looked the same as it had with the bluish glow of the cold bulkhead walls, but now all the lighting had been fixed bringing more details out of the gloom. Control Interface units were gleaming from their recent upgrades with seats having been installed around them; a few more creature comforts for Destiny's uninvited human crew.

* * *

><p>They reached the dome and waited for the Ursini botanist to join them. He opened the door;<p>

"Oh my God!" whispered Amanda with bated breath, "This is incredible!"

Before them the dome was full of plant life, some reaching toward the top. Strange varieties of fruits hung low from the branches of luminous blue trees. The air was fresh and clean, with the scent of unusual flowers engulfing their senses. The dome had become alive with plant matter form many worlds across the universe. The Ursini botanist pointed at the garden and smiled;

"All the fruit is safe for your species. We have updated the database with their medicinal and chemical structures. Some of your hybrid plant species are showing outstanding progress, so we have taken samples for our own further study."

They could tell that the Ursini botanist was very proud of the garden he had helped create. Ginn faced him and expressed her gratitude for the amount of work they had achieved. She placed his bony hand between her own; he looked down at her hands feeling the warmth on his.

"Thank-you so much, I promise that we will do our best to continue your work."

She released his hand and stepped back. If the Ursini are capable of it, Amanda was sure he was blushing from Ginn's humble gesture. He smiled again then turned and went on his way. Ginn asked Asgard D.J another question.

"Can we see the pods?"

Asgard D.J motioned the way. He knew it was time to put the humans into stasis pods. Destiny was almost complete with only testing of the faster than light-speed engine to be completed. The FTL drive had been upgraded to propel the ship faster with less energy consumption, helping Destiny across the expanding universe. The solar collectors had been replaced with newer versions that were more efficient, along with the sub light engines having been repaired with their capabilities increased. Destiny was ready to continue _her_ mission.

Ginn walked past the pods looking for Eli; Amanda found Nicholas's pod and stood with her hand on the screen beside his face. Franklin looked at Rush and just shook his head gently remembering what he had told Rush while in Destiny's memory bank. Ginn finally found Eli in the next corridor. He was frozen with a slight grin on his face that made her smile; she was falling deeply for Eli and she knew it.

Asgard D.J walked up behind Ginn;

"Destiny saved him; he was found in the storage workshop for the pods. He concluded that the stasis pod here was not repairable after several attempts." He said as he pointed to the empty pod. "His stasis is intact. You have feelings for him don't you?" Ginn smiled at the Asgard; you couldn't put much past the little greyish coloured aliens.

"Yes I do, I love him."

Asgard D.J spoke to all of them;

"It is time for all of you to enter the stasis pods. We will soon be finished and Destiny will continue her mission."

Without question, Ginn got into a pod that had been placed directly across from Eli. If something went wrong and she was going to die for a second time, then she wanted to be looking at Eli when it happened. Amanda and Franklin got into the pods next to Eli and Ginn. Before closing the doors Asgard D.J gave them some more information.

"We have left instructions about the upgrades of Destiny for when you come out of stasis. There is a stargate in the next galaxy that has the power to dial 9 chevrons, although we do not know which solar system it is in."

He turned to the controls on Ginn's pod and the door slid down. Franklin was next, and then Amanda. Before the door was closed she said to the Asgard:

"I want to thank-you for giving me a second chance at life again."

"You are welcome... Dr Amanda Perry". He closed the door.

* * *

><p>The Jackson undocked from Destiny's hull and moved to the port side. Asgard O'Neill's ship "The Samantha" sat to Destiny's starboard. The 3 vessels moved off under sub light engines, communicating engineering data from destiny's refurbished engines. Satisfied with the systems check all three ships came to a halt. The Jackson was the first to open a worm hole and disappear into the blackness of space. Asgard O'Neill, watching from his command bridge, gave Destiny back her independent control. He watched silently as she readied for the FTL jump; then she was gone. The Ursini Commander spoke to O'Neill:<p>

"Do you believe the humans will follow the mission?" he gently inquired. O'Neill Replied;

"There race has proven to be explorers, showing concern for free will and the greater good in the past. Destiny will learn from their natural inquisitive nature and will to survive."

O'Neill handed The Samantha to the Commander. With the bark of a few orders, a worm hole opened up and swallowed the ship.

Destiny's voyage continued forward, her new power and navigational upgrades showed that she would arrive in the next galaxy about the same time as originally planned. There was another twenty Earth months of FTL travel until it would be reached. Now that there was more than enough power in her systems, Destiny ran full checks on all that had been done. She had full control over everything including the stasis pods; Destiny had grown fond of her human crew and had come to understand them better than they had realized. Both Nicholas Rush and Eli Wallace had come to believe in _her_ as an entity of her own right. They seemed to have concluded that this was where they belonged and wanted to see the mission through.

Colonel Young was another that had began to understand, although his main concern was for his people and getting them home. He had proven to be a leader who listened to reason, learned from his mistakes and his military tactics had saved them all more than once. She had found that he was struggling with life aboard, turning to alcohol to reduce the pain. Destiny had seen inside his mind and knew he had made many mistakes since coming onboard, and was still grieving for his marriage. There was a lot of time to process all this information as she continued across the black void of nothingness; the FTL drive humming away in the darkness. Time was passing and she would reach the new galaxy soon.

Destiny dropped out of FTL just over 20 months later. For the ship it had been a journey time of just over two and a half Earth years; for the crew of humans it had been three. Sensors were detecting a solar system with a hydrogen filled star about two light years away; that would be perfect for a full recharge. She scanned the cosmos for signs of danger and satisfied that they were safe, began the process of unlocking the pods. Destiny knew it would take the humans some time to recover from there induced sleep before they would be back to their best. It would only take a few days in FTL to reach the star and continued toward it at sub light speed to give them time. They would need time to adjust and understand what had taken place while in stasis; she was in no hurry to move forward.

* * *

><p>Destiny had decided to open the pods in stages with the most relevant people first; Young, Rush, Eli, Chloe, T.J, Amanda, Greer, Scott, Ginn, Brody and Franklin would all be released within moments of each other. Destiny needed scientific and military minds before she needed people like Camille Wray; she had decided to keep Dale Volker in longer because his medical condition had deteriorated from the stay in stasis. The others would be release some hours later. Not to play favourites, she released all the pods at the same time. There was some coughing and stumbling as her new found crew emerged.<p>

Eli stared at Ginn rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

"Hello Eli..." she said with a warm smile.

He rushed to embrace her and felt the sensation of her face against his.

"How... I... Um... what..." he stammered more than questioned as he held Ginn's embrace.

"It's a long story Eli, but I am real." She whispered to him. Nicholas stood in front of Amanda with a similar reaction, but words failed him.

"We have a lot to explain", Amanda said as Col. Young shook his head in disbelief at the sight of the three ghosts.

"I'll bet you do" replied Rush turning to Col. Young who was now taking stock of waking up.

"Rush, we need to check the ship first and find..." Amanda cut him off;

"The ship is fine, in fact better than fine; that's what we need to tell you."

The others that had just awakened arrived on the scene. Everyone was still getting over the shock of seeing Amanda, Ginn, and Franklin alive again as Amanda began to explain about what had happened to them and the ship.

"So... your bodies are all genetic copies of the originals." Said Rush in a scientific manor. Franklin responded;

"Perfect in every way" he mused.

"I knew the Asgard cloning technology was good, but this... is remarkable" replied Rush still smiling broadly at Amanda.

Eli hadn't let go of Ginn's hand and he was squeezing it tightly; she rocked it softly to allow him to relax. Col. Young was just content to listen for the moment, amazed by what had transpired.

"So the whole ship has been repaired?" he asked.

Franklin took over from Amanda and continued.

"Yes and there's more; we have _full_ power and more but before you ask, we cannot use the gate to dial Earth. This is a strict condition of the Asgard."

Young, perplexed at this statement didn't bother to ask why as Franklin continued with the Asgard's reasoning's.

"Destiny has a mission and we were not invited in the first place. They believe if we have the power to dial Earth at will, it will jeopardise the real mission. They were concerned that Earth would simply take over Destiny for our own purpose."

Col. Young nodded his understanding and added; "What about the people who want to leave?"

Franklin replied; "The Asgard has told us that there is a planet with a stargate in this galaxy that has the capability of dialling Earth, and when the time comes they will assist. However, they don't know which system the planet is in. That was the last thing we were told before being put in stasis."

Again Col. Young nodded accepting for now that this was the case. He asked another reasonable question;

"Why didn't they just send us all home?"

Amanda answered that one. "Destiny wanted us to stay. They uploaded the ships entire memory and found how Destiny had evolved with us being onboard. Those that want to leave can, but I know many have found that they wish to be here now."

Things were starting to sink in now and Col. Young began to take charge again. He called out to Greer and Scott;

"Ok Lieutenant; Sergeant, go get the radio gear from the armoury and see what needs charging. Most of the equipment will be flat."

Eli interrupted; "Um Col. Young, I found an armoury in the forward decks before I made it to the stasis pod. There were heaps of ancient weapons and suits and..."

Young cut him off; "Thanks Eli, but we don't have time for that right now, we need to know where we are exactly." He said turning to Rush.

Rush, still coming to terms with Amanda standing in front of him finally replied.

"We need to get to the bridge Eli and find out where we are."

Col. Young grabbed T.J's hand and pulled her gently to him; then embraced her. "We'll be fine Everett, I missed you." She whispered in his ear.

* * *

><p>All of them walked off toward the bridge with Eli telling Ginn his own survival story. They opened the bridge door and stepped inside. Rush immediately sat in the main chair and powered up all the systems for a comprehensive check up. A message greeted him on the screen that surprised him somewhat; it read<p>

"Hello Dr Nicholas Rush, I have something to tell you."

Col. Young, seeing Rush's reaction; "What's wrong...?"

"Destiny has something to tell us" he said at bit perplexed looking up at Young.

With that the main control screen reflected what was on the console in front of Rush. An image of Asgard J.D appeared on the screen; everyone payed close attention. He introduced himself and began to explain what had happened while they were all in stasis. Everyone listened carefully as he went through the upgraded systems one by one with simple terminology. Apart from the odd scientific gasp, no-one spoke. It only took about fifteen minutes for the breakdown of the repairs and upgrades. At the end, Asgard D.J spoke about the stargate.

"We know that you are wondering why the stargates power wasn't boosted. As a species, you must realize that the greatest good for the greatest amount of beings must be the order of the universe. Countless worlds will benefit from Destiny's mission and in or judgment, some of your leaders and others that may come along, will only have their own interests to serve."

Allowing a few moments for this to sink in, the Asgard continued;

"Destiny has requested that you stay onboard, as _she _is also learning from your actions; you are not a threat to her as long as you wish to remain aboard and follow the mission. The gate countdown clock will not be accessible to you, although control of the ship in general will be."

Rush and Young looked at each other with a "what next?" expression. The screen reverted back to normal, and a beep got Nicholas's attention. There was a star about two light-years away and Destiny had already plotted a course for it. Before he could speak, a message flashed on the console from Destiny. "Remaining stasis pods to be opened in 20 hours. FTL delayed until crew adjusts"

Rush spoke to Young; "Destiny has plotted a course to a star about two light years ahead. She won't let us open the stasis pods for another twenty hours. She is also delaying an FTL jump to give us time to adjust to everything."

Col. Young appeared agitated but agreed. "It sounds like Destiny has our best interest at heart. Ok T.J, I need you to check everyone here just as a caution. We've been asleep for quite a while and I need to know everyone's ok."

T.J answered with a simple "Yes Colonel..." as the group followed her, headed toward the infirmary.

Rush, Eli, and Col. Young stayed behind as the others left with Young holding them back saying; "Not yet, I want to know what's happened, it can't be real."

"Col. Young", Eli said, "This is real... I had help from Destiny when I was trying to get into a pod and she turned off the artificial gravity for me... because I asked for her help, not to turn it off."

"You mean through a CI?" replied Young.

"No, _I asked her_ just like I'm talking to you now."

Rush interjected; "What Eli is saying is exactly what I have come to understand, Destiny is alive! She has more brain power than all of us put together."

"You mean Artificial Intelligence?" asked Young sounding confused.

Eli explained: "Yeah, it's sorta like AI but more _human, it's more cognitive thought _than AI. The same way our brain neuro-network works."

"Ok, I still don't understand exactly what you mean, but will this be dangerous; that's what I need to know!" He said in full military tone.

Rush, still with his head in the console looked up and answered with a blasé tone:

"As long as we follow the Asgard's warnings about the gate and time clock, we should be fine. I defiantly wouldn't try to dial earth again, that's for sure!"

Young looked at Rush weighing up his answer. "Hmmm... so now were just along for the ride."

Eli stepped back into the conversation sensing the tension; "The Asgard weren't known to tell lies, I think we should focus on trying to find the planet that has the potential to dial earth. They said that they would help us when the time came... at least it gives people hope."

Young replied "Your right Eli, it should be our focus for the time being..." surrendering his thoughts of an easier way out. Satisfied for now they all were safe, he turned his attention to more pressing concerns like power, food, water, and life support. He asked Eli and Rush for a sit rep of their supplies. Eli tapped away at the CI in front of him.

"Um, power is at an incredible 65% of full capacity, and its way more than we use to have. The shields are steady at 30% and all weapons are functional and ready to be charged... Life support at 110% of capacity..." commented Eli in a surprised manor.

"How can life support be 110% Eli?" Questioned Rush sceptically.

He scanned through more information on the CI then said: "The dome... it's producing more air than we can use. The whole ship has full life support; we could go safely to any part of it. All of the ships directional elevators are also working."

The three men just looked at each other with the same thought. Young spoke first;

"Not without my permission you don't" was his stern reply; "There will be plenty of time to explore later, for now we need to make sure everything's ok."

Greer opened the bridge door and stepped in bringing three radios with him.

"Sorry I'm late Colonel, T.J gave me a once over before I could get here." He smiled

"That's ok son, it's our turn now anyway." Young look at Rush and Eli and motioned them to go and get checked out. Reluctantly, Rush got out of the chair and followed Eli to the infirmary; Col. Young tagged along too.

* * *

><p>They found Scott and Chloe on the way; they were catching up with each other through an intimate embrace. Eli coughed:<p>

"Oh... um... sorry Colonel" he said as he let her go. Chloe's smile was trying to hide her embarrassment of being busted. Young just smiled and said nothing continuing on his way.

Eli pass a sly comment to Scott as he walked by; "Get a room..."

In the infirmary T.J had the guys get on a bed and lay down as she examined them one at a time. Not one to be told what to do, Rush started playing with the CI unit above the bed. T.J seeing him out of the corner of her eye scoffed at him;

"I said lay down..."

"Hang on a minute" said Rush then added, "T.J did you know there where full anatomical files on thousands of different species in here? There seems to be a whole database of related illnesses as well."

Catching her interest, she looked over at him. "We did get a lot of info from the volcano planet's databank."

Rush continuing to look, replied "This is not from there; they didn't have files on other species."

Young cut in; "Could it be from the Asgard?"

"More than likely Colonel... it appears that they have decided to help us with our journey." Rush said as T.J forced him to lie down.

A crackle came over the radio; "Colonel Young, this is Greer come in"

"Go ahead Sergeant."

"Um sir, you are going to want to see this for yourself; I'm at the dome with Ginn and Franklin."

"Lieutenant Scott, did you copy?" asked Young through the radio.

"On my way Colonel"

"Are we done here T.J?" Young asked:

T.J replied "All good Sir."

The three of them raced out toward the dome and met up with Scott and Chloe along the way. They reached the dome and hit the door button. An incredible rush of air passed through the opening door causing them to almost gasp. The sight before them was nothing short of impressive; no longer the garden that the Ursini had attended so carefully; it was a full jungle complete with its own atmosphere. They all stared in amazement at the cloud that formed high above in the dome.

"Oh my God... this is... wow... incredible..." Chloe tried to get words out but they just didn't do this justice.

Greer walked out of the jungle on what was the very overgrown path, carrying some strange type of fruits. "This is amazing Colonel, there is food everywhere and it's raining inside!"

Ginn came out of the jungle behind Greer holding more different varieties of vegetables and fruits. "The Ursini told us that everything in here was safe for humans to eat and use. They said that it is all in the database." Eli moved to help her carry the food.

"We should still check what we don't know before eating it though" cautioned Colonel Young; as always the safety of his people came first.

Rush looked on impressed at how the Ursini had managed to create a complete botanical eco system in a dome of a spaceship.

He looked at Eli; "Any wonder life support was at 110%." He walked up to a CI on the wall and checked the database on what had been done. "Colonel, it appears that all the Co2 produced is being pumped into the dome to be converted to oxygen and nitrogen by the plants. The atmosphere is then pumped to the rest of the Destiny; in effect we now have a full biological life support system that is endless, it is truly amazing." Rush continued his search on the screen, there was more. "The ship can also produce our own water by combining Hydrogen and Oxygen. It then appears to be absorbed and filtered by the ground to collect minerals. It's as good as any water on Earth." his scientific tone taking over.

Young was starting to realize just what the Asgard wanted for Destiny. A crew; not only a crew to run the ship, but someone to input more than Destiny could. Human influence was required to help with the journey, and most of all, to teach Destiny. He was starting to understand the importance of the mission and their relationship with it.

It was time to contact Earth.


	3. Chapter 3

SGU s03e03

Future

Col. Young headed to the communications room with Rush following. Franklin and Brody having come for the infirmary, had already unpacked the communication stones ready for use. Franklin reminded the Colonel that the other pods would open in about fifteen hours; and that he and Brody would rest while Colonel Young was gone to take the night shift later; they left the room to avid the shock of seeing Franklin alive again.

"What are you going to tell them Colonel?" Rush asked hoping for an answer.

"Everything that we know so far; why... is there something you want to hide Rush?" Young's manor sounded untrusting.

"No, not something to hide Colonel; but I'm afraid of who might return" he said with worry in his voice.

"You mean Telford" said Young.

"It wouldn't be the first time he tried to dial the gate. Once he knows we have the power, I'm afraid what Destiny might do to stop him." Replied Rush in a matter of fact tone.

"Do you really think Destiny will try to stop him if he does?" Rush detected sarcasm in his voice.

"I think Destiny will protect the mission Colonel, and yes, she _will_ try to stop him if he attempts it;" his voice becoming aggressive.

Young thought for a moment, then grabbed his radio: "Lt Scott come in."

"Scott here, Colonel" crackled the radio.

"Please come to the communications room..._now_" as he accentuated the last word. Releasing the radio he looked back at Rush. "Well then you will have to do your best to persuade him not too; do you think you can do that Rush?" Young was growing impatient of Rush's constant whining.

Scott step into the room. "Yes Colonel?"

"Lt Scott, Dr Rush is concerned that whoever inhabits me may want to try and dial the gate for Earth. I need you to work with him to stop any such attempt, should one arise. This is regardless of whom it is or what their rank maybe; Telford included."

Scott looked at Rush and then back to Col. Young. He didn't have much trust for Rush but his colonel had given him a direct order, and he was a marine.

"Ok Colonel, no-one will open the gate to Earth, got it." He nodded his understanding without question.

Rush spoke up "Thank-you Colonel."

With that Young picked up the stone as a slight dizziness came over him.

"Please state your name and security code at once!" yelled the marine pointing the M16 at Col. Young.

"Colonel Everett Young; from the Destiny" he answered and gave the code not concerned by the marine's actions.

"Welcome back Colonel, it's been a long time; this way to General O'Neill's office."

He looked in the mirror as he got up; Telford's body. Young thought as much and smiled at himself. They walked to General O'Neill's office as the marine stayed at the door, closing it after announcing Young's arrival.

"I thought you retired Jack?"

"I did... several times in fact. They just don't seem to want me too..." he smiled as he shook Everett's hand.

"So...tell me, have a nice _nap_ Everett?" as only Jack O'Neill could ask.

Smiling at Jack, Col. Young replied; "I hope you have some time Jack, this is going to take a while..."

"Oh, I can't wait..." replied a straight faced Jack with his sarcastic humour.

* * *

><p>Telford arrived in Young's body eager to be back on Destiny. Looking at Scott standing there fully armed he said; "It's Col. Telford, Lt Scott."<p>

"Code please Sir..." an order more than a request.

Telford rattled off the security code passwords much to Rush's disappointment of seeing him.

"Welcome back aboard Destiny Sir" greeted Scott. He handed Telford Col. Young's radio.

Rush announced; "Before you say anything, there have been a lot of changes around here while we were in stasis. Come to the bridge with me and I will explain."

Telford looked at Lt. Scott for confirmation of what Rush had just said, and receiving a nod from Scott replied; "Ok... let's go."

As the three men walked out of the communications room, Telford noticed that the ship looked somehow different, brighter perhaps. It had been three years since he had been on Destiny and maybe he had remembered it differently over time. It didn't take long for the questions to start coming;

"Where is everyone?" asked Telford.

"They're still in stasis pods... Won't be out for a few more hours" replied Lt. Scott.

"I know you have a million questions Colonel Telford, but please wait until we get to the bridge." Asked Rush already losing his patients with Telford.

Colonel Telford knew Rush didn't like him and dismissed his attitude with a shake of his head. They reached the bridge in silence and opened the door. Eli, sitting in the main chair looked around at the three men as they entered. Ginn and Franklin were at the forward consoles as they turned and looked at "Telford" not knowing.

"What the...!" exclaimed Telford as he took a step back in shock.

"Like I said, there's a lot of explaining to do. Guys this is Colonel Telford" Announced Rush. "Eli, play the message from the Asgard." Turning to Telford he said; "This will help explain what is going on. And yes, they are real." He said gesturing toward Ginn and Franklin.

Eli played the message from the Asgard. Telford watched in amazement as he went through what had been done to the ship. Then, at the end of the message, something different happened; the picture of Asgard D.J stopped; the Ursini Commander stepped up and introduced himself to Telford addressing him directly. Everyone watch, not having seen this before; Destiny _had to know_ that Telford was using the stones with Young.

"Colonel Telford, I am Commander Lenai (_pronounced_ _Lee- nay-e) _of the Ursini High Command. I wish to apologise for your treatment on board the seeding ship. I am sorry the crew took advantage of Destiny against the clone ships in the last galaxy. We hold no malice against your race and hope to continue positive communications in the future."

Telford, finding himself a bit stunned at what had just happened looked at Rush who was equally just as lost for words. Telford finally spoke:

"What do I say to that?" he seemed uncomfortable not knowing how to respond.

Eli offered in a whisper; "Tell him you accept their apologies, I mean _say it to him."_

Giving Eli a strange look and feeling weird; still a bit lost he cleared his throat, faced the screen and replied; "Commander Lenai of the Ursini High Command, I accept your apology unconditionally and hope that or two great races can continue to be Allies in the future."

The screen lit up again with the commander's face; "Thank-you Colonel Telford. A sub space message with you reply has been sent to the Asgard vessel, The Samantha."

Eli, still in "Captain Kirk's chair" confirmed that a microscopic wormhole had appeared for several micro-seconds just after the message on the screen.

"Wow...that was cool..." Eli wasn't one to hold back his thoughts.

Col. Telford was beginning to get his head around what was transpiring on the bridge. He turned his attention to Ginn and Franklin; "Ok, so how did you guys get... to be here?" he chose his words carefully not to offend.

"It's a long story Colonel..." replied Ginn with a smile.

"I've got time...but give me the quick version" he said as he sat down at one of the consoles near them.

"The Asgard cloned new bodies for us from our DNA stored in Destiny's memory. They removed our consciousnesses' from the memory and took us to meet the Nox. I don't know how the Nox put us back inside, but they did; and we are very grateful for it." Tears ran down Ginn's face as she spoke; this was an incredible gift to give someone asking nothing in return: Their life.

Rush added; "Amanda Perry was also revived."

Telford, taking all this onboard, gave himself a moment to absorb it all. Finally he spoke; "What about the stargate... could we"

Rush interjected immediately "NO! We can't, didn't you listen to the Asgard warning? Any attempt to try will have serious consequences for all of us here!" The arguing started.

"What, so you believe some message form an alien over anything else?" Telford retorted raising his voice.

"Colonel Telford, they have been very clear about this, you heard their reasons." Rush calmed his voice as he spoke. "They have equipped this ship impeccably for our survival; doesn't that tell you something?"

Eli joined in; "Colonel, they had the power to send us all home, but they didn't _for a reason_. I know that some of the people want to return to Earth, but some of us want to stay too."

Dr Rush now pleaded to Col. Telford's intellect; "Please Colonel, don't try opening the gate, we are afraid of how Destiny may react."

Telford mulled this over for a few moments starring at Rush. He desperately wanted to be aboard Destiny as himself, but also, in command. He truly believed he was the man for the job regardless of what anyone thought. He finally conceded to Dr Rush's pleading and replied.

"Ok Dr Rush, I'll believe you for now. Let's see the rest of the ship."

* * *

><p>Eli breathed a sigh of relief as they left the bridge. He knew that Destiny would react to any attempt to dial Earth. Telford, Scott, and Rush left the bridge just as Amanda Perry arrived. Telford stopped and spoke to her;<p>

"It's nice to see you again Dr Perry; it's Colonel Telford."

She shook his hand. "Thank-you Colonel Telford, good to see you again. How are you coping with all the surprises?" she asked smiling at him.

"They're slowly sinking in, it's quiet amazing..." he replied smiling, looking into her eyes. She was a beautiful woman, and the last time he saw her she was a quadriplegic on Earth.

Time was passing as Telford toured the ship looking at everything. He was impressed by the dome like all of them, and spent some time going through the CI, with Rush explaining some of the new found systems. Lt. Scott had left them alone, satisfied all was ok about the stargate. Suddenly they heard Eli's voice call to them; but not on the radio.

"Um, Dr Rush... if you can hear me, press the top two buttons on the left of the command interface together and reply."

Rush looked at Telford with a grin on his face and pushed the buttons; "It appears you found the ships intercom system Eli..."

Eli replied; "Um, yeah... We were just looking through some new stuff and found it. It looks like it can be accessed at any door panel as well..."

Col. Telford spoke up; "Good work Eli... should make life easier for you all; what else have you found?" He wanted to know everything.

Eli suddenly looked up from the CI console on the bridge and reported; "Looks like Destiny's going to jump into FTL in a few minutes, she just gave me a message; hang on, I'll sent it to you."

A message appeared in the top right of the CI screen; Telford and Rush read it, in English:

"Eli Wallace, please announce that we will be going into FTL in five minutes."

Telford starred at Rush; this was a personal message to Eli from Destiny. Not a being or alien, _a ship!_

"You care to explain _this_ Dr Rush? Destiny is sending Eli Wallace personal messages now?" anger was building in his voice.

Before Rush could talk, Eli spoke through the whole ship; the way only Eli can; "Attention Ladies and Gentleman aboard the Ancient ship Destiny; shortly we will be making the jump to FTL. Please fasten your seatbelts, extinguish all cigarettes, and enjoy the ride to the nearest star; this is your Captain speaking."

Rush and Telford could hear Amanda and Ginn giggling in the background. Taking the tension out of the moment with Telford, Rush commented as he shook his head.

"Bloody kids..."

With that, the familiar blur came over them as the ship jumped. Rush, realising the stones disconnected for a few seconds wasted no time as Col. Young reappeared. "Everett, the pods open in about 3 hours; were on our way to the star, get back soon."

"I'm still with O'Neill in his office, be leaving short..." He was back in Telford's body sitting in General O'Neill's office.

"Jumped to the star I take it..." said O'Neill leaning back in his chair.

"What did Telford tell you?" was Colonel Young's reply.

"Oh...the usual stuff about him being in charge, the gate etc..." O'Neill waved his hand in dismissive circles. "Oh... by the way, you slept through your promotion; General Everett Young."

"Huh... General hey, I didn't know I was up for promotion." Everett took in the news with a slight grin on his face.

"Yeah, well... I want to retire but they won't let me either. Seems our politicians figure we should have a superior officer in charge of Destiny and since we can't replace you...we promote you... you know how it goes." O'Neill sounded as sarcastic as ever.

"Thanks Jack; you still got that bottle of scotch in the draw?" inquired "General" Young.

O'Neill took the bottle, two glasses from the draw and poured the scotch. He handed one to his friend. Young picked up the glass and lifted it toward Jack's. O'Neill made a toast;

"Best of luck General, your go'na need it." The two men tapped glasses together. He continued: "Oh, one more thing... it's a bit personal."

Young, more stated than asked; "Let me guess, Telford's dating my ex-wife."

"Married would probably be a better word..." said Jack slowly hoping Young would just accept it.

He did; quietly, he laughed shaking his head. "I thought as much. I didn't expect her to stay alone."

"Oh well Everett, look at the bright side; at least you got that ship repaired, and... you're the boss." O'Neill smiled as he took another sip of scotch.

"It's been good to see you Jack, I gotta go." General Young shook Jack's hand and left.

* * *

><p>After coming back from the FTL jump, Telford re-asked the same question of Rush; "Why can the ship send messages to someone?" his tone was calmer and more genuine.<p>

"I don't know if you'll believe me or not, but we believe Destiny is capable of cognitive thought. She has masses of processing power unlike anything I have ever seen. She was the one that decided which pods to open first." Rush kept out the emotion and stuck to the facts.

"Destiny must have concluded that we were the most valuable people _to her_ and here we are."

"Who else is awake?" Col. Telford asked.

"Just us that you have seen, plus T.J, Greer, Brody, and Chloe" Rush kept it simple.

"It sounds like a strategic move, Scientists and military, the people who know how to operate the ship. T.J; it sounds like she was chosen to look after everyone; that make sense" commented Col. Telford.

"You see what I mean now Colonel, "She" is thinking..." said Rush finally relaxing his voice around Telford. "We don't have long before the other pods open up and go through the whole process of surprise again. I'm not sure how people will take seeing three dead people alive again."

Telford suddenly felt strange. General Young disconnected from the communication stones, and found himself standing in the dome with Rush.

"It's me" he said.

"Welcome back Colonel" smiled Rush, glad to be rid of Telford.

"Actually it's General Young now; it seem Earth wants to have a superior officer on board representing them." Young appeared amused at the idea.

Eli, playing with the intercom system again, made another general announcement in true Eli character with a laid back surfers voice; "Um... attention dudes, the grand opening of the other pods will be in 10 minutes, get your popcorn while it's hot; over and out; 10/4 good buddy!"

Young looked at Rush with a "What the f..." expression; Rush showed him which buttons to press to reply.

"General Young here Eli, this is a communications system on a spaceship, not an arcade game son... but thanks for the message."

"General? Um...ok Colonel, um...I mean General; sorry Sir." Eli sank down into the chair.

Ginn and Amanda started laughing on the bridge, making Eli feel even worse. T.J, Chloe, Scott, and Greer all on the observation deck also heard the whole conversation. Greer and Scott were in fits of laughter falling on the ground. It had been a long time since they had been able to laugh so loud. The human crew had been through hell and back in the 10 months plus stasis time of three years. Finally they had some hope; the ship was running perfectly, there were no problems with supplies or life support. For the first time since coming aboard, they finally found some peace.

* * *

><p>General Young passed by the observation deck on the way to the pods. Greer and Scott had settled down but were still smiling. They stood up at attention, along with T.J, seeing Young enter the room.<p>

"Congratulations General Young on your promotion Sir!" barked Scott; all of them saluting him at once.

"At ease guys, thanks."

Greer, breaking tradition, walked up to Young and held out his hand;

Shaking it, Young replied "Thanks Sergeant, I have some news. They want us to make finding the planet with the stargate that can dial Earth our priority. This means that every planet with a working gate needs to be checked out."

"Sir... that could be hundreds of thousands of planets across this galaxy..." said Greer taking it all in.

"I know Sergeant, I didn't say it would be easy" replied Young.

Eli broke the silence again, this time he stuck to the facts. Greer and Scott looked at each other smiling about Eli.

"General Young, the pods will open in two minutes" he kept it simple.

Young walked to the CI on the deck wall and answered; "Ok Eli, thanks...much better." He smiled at his soldiers as they all got the joke and smiled back.

They made their way to the pods; Chloe followed as well. They got there just as the first pods were opening. They greeted everyone with T.J and Chloe escorting them in groups to the infirmary to get checked out. MSgt Greer waited for Lisa Park and greeted her with a small kiss on the cheek, before hooking his arm around hers as a guide following the others. Destiny held Dr Volker in stasis and wouldn't release him. Lt Scott touched the CI and spoke to Eli on the bridge, Rush had joined him.

"Eli, this is Scott; Dr Volker's pod won't open...over"

"Lt. Scott This is Dr Rush we are trying to find out why, please stand by."

Eli seeing Destiny holding the pod closed simply asked aloud; "Why won't you release Dr Volker's pod?"

A message appeared on the screen in front of him; "Dr Dale Volker has sustained some internal bleeding from the medical procedure recently performed. Dr Amanda Perry and Lieutenant Tamara Johansen will need to correct the damage immediately after his release from the stasis pod. They will need to prepare the infirmary before he is released. Medical procedures and records are available should they be required. Dr Dale Volker is in a stable condition; Dr Amanda Perry or Lieutenant Tamara Johansen will be the only two humans allowed to release the stasis pod."

Amanda had the same message on the screen in front of her. Rush just looked at Eli and Amanda; all of them were taken back by this. It was absolute proof that Destiny was changing, and from what had just happened, she was also _growing_.

Rush broke the silence: "This is just... I can't believe what's happening here..." he remembered Lt. Scott; "Lt. Scott, this is Dr Rush...um there seems to be..." he looked at Amanda for council; she smiled and nodded; "There seems to an issue with the pod, but Dr Volker is quiet safe. We will have to leave him there for a few more hours, over."

"Roger, copy that; Scott out."

Rush picked up a radio, "General Young, come in."

"What is it Rush?" answered Young

"You're needed on the bridge." Rush replied simply not to arouse anyone else who may have heard.

"Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes, Young out."

About ten minutes later he arrived with Camille Wray beside him.

"Hello Camille" said Rush as she walked in.

Camille looked at Ginn and Amanda; "Wow... it's hard to get your head around: It's nice to see you both again... Dr Rush, Eli." She made pleasantries to all of them.

"Dr rush, why am I here?" requested Young.

"We've had another request from Destiny, thought you might want to take a look" he put the message on the main screens.

Camille reading the message asked; "_Who_ did this?"

Eli answered; "I asked Destiny why she wouldn't release Dr Volker's pod and this was her response."

Camille, somewhat unsure what he meant by _asked_ replied; "You _asked_ Destiny, you mean tried to find out why through the console?"

Rush interjected losing his thin line of patients; "Oh for God's sake, we don't have time for this. Eli just asked, like I'm speaking to you now."

"Yelling sounds more like it Dr Rush!" retorted Camille

"Enough!" Young yelled loudly; "So I suppose we just follow what Destiny told us, its sounds as though he's got some serious internal bleeding."

Amanda answered "Destiny has scanned him in the pod; there seems to be a small tear in his renal artery that may have happened from the stasis process." She kept the diagnosis in simple terms so they all understood. "Either way, without Destiny's help he would have died before we found it."

* * *

><p>"Eli, go and tell T.J quietly to come here when she has finished checking over everyone. Oh, and take Camille with you and explain to her what you believe is going on with the ship." The General had spoken.<p>

Eli found T.J and passed on the message. He and Camille went to the observation deck and sat down. He had been working for many hours straight and was becoming tired. They all were; Young and Rush included. He sat with Camille and they spoke; Eli did most of the talking.

"That was a very brave chance to take Eli, staying behind to fix the pod. How did you know there would be spare pods in the room?" Camille asked

"Well, I guess I just trusted that Destiny didn't want me dead; you know, like... it's not like she didn't have the chance. It would have been easy to lock me out and vent out the air or something" Eli replied.

"Why do you refer to the ship as "She", is that because you believe the ship is alive?" the shrink in Camille really stood out sometimes.

"I don't know... isn't that what they call those ocean liners on Earth "she"? I just think of the ship as female, you know, giving life to us..." Eli had solid reasoning there; Destiny did give them all life and in effect had saved them.

Camille wasn't finished and pumped Eli for more information in a subtle way. "So you can speak to the ship like a person and get an answer? How is that?"

He just shrugged his shoulders and said "She just likes me I guess...but I believe that Destiny is capable of cognitive thought like the human brain."

Camille had an idea to test Eli's theory believing that he was just reading more into things than was really there. "Can I ask her a question and get an answer too?"

"Um...what here?" he looked around the room, there were several people there recovering from the shock of stasis. "Um... probably not a good idea in here, most don't know about what's happened yet; General Young hasn't told them, but he will soon..."

Without warning, foolishly Camille tested Eli's theory "Destiny... I demand you open the gate to earth at once!" She yelled so that everyone could hear it, and then smiled sarcastically at Eli...but only for a moment.

The doors slammed shut with a frightening bang as the lights flickered and went off; an eerie silence came across the observation deck. Greer was sitting in the deck area with Lisa, dozing in a chair. He grabbed his radio;

"Col. Young we got a problem in the observation deck, the doors slammed shut and the lights went out." Greer forgot all about Young's promotion in his calm panic.

"Greer, what the hell happened, things are lighting up all over the bridge" with the radio button accidently held down by General Young, Greer could hear the commotion on the bridge;

"Colonel... some idiot just asked Destiny to open the gate to Earth...and she didn't like it..."

"No shit Rush" yelled the General.

Eli yelled at Camille: "Camille, for God's sake apologise before this room get vented and we all die!"

Back on the bridge; "I can't override it; Everett, get Greer to take Camille into custody; it should show Destiny we are serious too" Rush had a point, a good point.

"Sergeant, arrest Camille Wray immediately, put her in cuffs, right now!"

"Ok General, will do" He moved swiftly to Camille, and pushed her to the floor. Grabbing a cable tie from his armour belt, he handcuffed her behind her back. Camille screamed and kicked protesting her rough treatment; Greer just repeated the Generals orders aloud: "Camille Wray, I am placing you under arrest by direct order of General Young..."

No sooner had he said that, the doors opened and lights came back on. He helped Camille up off the floor and led her out silently, she tried to get away but Greer was just too strong.

"General, this is Greer...Camille is under arrest, and the place has gone back to normal. I'm taking her to her quarters Sir."

"I'll meet you there Sergeant; Young out."

Eli, having left the observation deck walked up to the main CI; he looked around to see if he was alone. He apologised to Destiny; a message came back to him. "I wouldn't have hurt you or the other humans Eli Wallace, but it is not wise to test me."

He spoke softly back to Destiny: "I know... I just thought she would ask you to put down the blinds or something simple, not something dumb like that." He was tired and a little scared too; the gravity of the situation was starting to sink in. "Can I ask you something...Hypothetical?"

"Yes" was the message.

"If we had no choice, like, no way out... would you open the gate to Earth then if we asked?" said Eli afraid of the answer.

Destiny took a few seconds to reply; "I don't know; it would depend on the situation. If I did, it would only be a one way journey. Get some sleep Eli Wallace."

Eli headed to his bed; it had been a hell of a learning curve for all of them. He got in to find Ginn already there as he snuggled up to her and fell asleep. Tomorrow was another day to explore a new galaxy; the love of his life was back in his arms, and for the first time, there was a sense of real hope for their future.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again to everyone reading this. Firstly, I want to thank everyone that commented on or added my story to their fav list, your feedback helps me heaps. Special thanks to AlexanderD for pointing out a couple of "my bads" that I missed, I have since corrected a few things in upcoming epp's. The chapter may surprise you with the direction it goes, but I have tryed to retain a similar SGU style the way I wanted it. There are some new "people" introduced that might be seen later on... this is the rounding up of the first 3 chapters and will "open up" to more... twists... yet to come...

Enjoy.

* * *

><p>SGU s03e04<p>

Changes

A very angry General Young slammed the door button of Camille's quarters, and stormed in.

"What the _hell _were you thinking Camille?" yelled General Young: "I explicitly told you no-one is to attempt to open the stargate to Earth!"

"It's a ship Colonel, not a person... it's just a floating metal tin can..." Camille retaliated with fire in her voice.

"It's _General_ Young... and after all that's happened, you still think this is just a ship...?" he corrected her as his own feelings of failure about their situation began to surface.

"We have the power, why can't we just dial home?" she was crying by now, "I just want to go home..."

Camille finally broke down, with her hands free, she cried into them rocking gently on her bed. It was all too much for her anymore; she had lost the love of her life and was stuck on a ship across the other side of the universe. She felt an emptiness beginning to fill her heart with pain. Everett understood; it wasn't fair and he knew it, but now it was his job to make a difference and give hope to everyone. He knew Camille to be a good person and she wouldn't put other people's lives in jeopardy intentionally. Calming himself down, he sat across from a very upset Camille Wray and spoke to her with understanding.

"Look, Camille; I don't think it's fair either...but we are all in the same situation. For the sake of everyone here, please...don't put other lives at risk by trying to test a theory." He spoke with compassion in his voice he didn't know he had, and surprised himself at how much he felt for Camille's situation.

Everett got up and walked to the door; he asked 2nd Lt Vanessa James to "keep her company for a while" rather than "guard the door". Vanessa stepped inside, closed the door and sat on the bed with Camille.

"Are you here to guard me?" Wray asked still sobbing gently.

Smiling at her she said softly; "No, it won't come to that."

Vanessa put her arm behind Camille's back and wrapped it around her pulling them together. Camille, turning towards her, put her hand around Vanessa's shoulder; laying their heads beside each others, Camille began to cry uncontrollably. She needed a friend, someone to comfort her; like all of them, she had woken up from stasis after 3 years, and all that she had known would be different. Vanessa cradled her, rocking slowly on the bed with her for some time; finally Camille looked up at Lt. James, with tears still running down her face. Vanessa knew that feeling of emptiness Camille was going through, and placed her hands for support alongside Camille's neck.

"I miss her so much...it's so hard...I told her not to wait for me before going into stasis" sobbed Camille.

Lt. James wiped the tears away with her thumbs, now holding Camille's sad face softly in her hands;

"I know what it's like to lose someone...not being able to touch them" Vanessa swallowed, thinking about losing Matt to Chloe.

Camille affectionately put her hand around Lt. James wrist. They rested their foreheads together for a few moments, both in deep sorrow; slowly they began to smile and chuckle at their hopeless position stuck on the other side of the universe.

"Huh...we make a good pair don't we..." Camille's sorrow was starting to fade, replaced by the warmth that Vanessa's compassion was giving her.

Camille lifted her head and looked into the gentleness of Vanessa's soft feminine eyes; they shared a moment looking into each other... Then, out of the blue;

Vanessa leaned forward tenderly to Camille...;

And kissed her

* * *

><p>General Young knew it was time to speak to everyone on board. They didn't need to know all the details, just a brief outline of what happened while in stasis. Destiny would arrive to recharge from the star soon, and he wanted to inform everyone of what was going on; he asked Rush to join him. Standing on the bridge he engaged the ships intercom system and began to speak:<p>

"Attention all personal...there will be a meeting in the gate room for everyone in ten minutes; Young out."

Slowly everyone milled around the gate room. General Young asked the marines to only carry small arms just in case someone made an attempt to open the gate; he didn't want to scare people with military might. He and Rush stood atop the stairs in the gate room in a show of unity; Young began.

"First of all, welcome back. I wanted to give everyone time to adjust from stasis for a few hours before I spoke to all of you together. We have quite a few things to discuss as you would of noticed, lots of things have happened while we were in stasis."

Everett explained as straight forward as he could about what took place while they were "out". He told them what had happened to Amanda, Ginn, and Franklin and that they now resided in cloned bodies; although none of them were present at the meeting to avoid reactions. Most of the people seemed to understand now; they had all worked with alien technology before and surprise was just a part of it. At the mention of the planet with the power to dial Earth, General Young stated to all of them:

"There will be a list in the galley for anyone to put their name on to stay onboard Destiny and not return to Earth. No one will be pressured to put their name on the list; it will be entirely your own choice. Anyone caught pressuring another person, or forging someone else's name will face a disciplinary hearing made up of three military and three civilian personal...none of which shall be me; are there any questions?"

Varro asked a question; "General Young, are we able to explore the ship more now that it's functioning properly?"

"Yes we will, but only on my orders. No one is to go off "_exploring_" on their own without permission. To put it simply, this ship is huge and it would be easy to get lost."

Another civilian asked "Sir, have we found any planets yet?"

Young looked at Rush; he took the question: "Destiny is showing two planets in this system with gate addresses, only one appears to be operational. We may take the shuttle to the other if it appears inhabitable."

Rush asked "Is there anything else?" No one replied.

General Young then told them "Everyone will have the chance to use the communication stones over the coming weeks. There will be an 8 hour limit per person, and exceptional cases will need to be considered by myself and Camille Wray."

"Ok, that's all..." said General Young.

People started heading back towards their normal stations. Many went to check out the dome and see it for themselves. Lisa Park went to see T.J in the infirmary with the help of her "seeing eye dog" Ronald, who was becoming more than just a friend.

"How are you feeling" asked T.J

"No magical cure yet" she said laughingly, the distress still in her voice.

T.J, careful not to get Lisa's hopes up told her about what Rush had found; "We now have a whole database of information about different species. I have had a quick look through and there appears to be some information on eye injuries and diseases. I'm sorry but I haven't had much time to look through yet."

"That's alright T.J, I'm not the only one in need of attention" she spoke as T.J flashed a light into her eyes to test her pupils' reaction.

Lisa blinked uncontrollably in her left eye as the light flashed past; she gasped "I just saw light!"

T.J responded by flashing the light at Lisa's eye without suggesting anything.

"The light is flashing..." said Lisa with a smile on her face.

T.J looked at Lisa "That's right. Good...it seems to be healing, but it's way too early to tell how it will go yet."

Greer spoke up; "It's a good sign isn't it?"

T.J put her hand on Lisa's and carefully said "Its early days and this is a good sign, but we have no way of telling if the damage will repair itself over time. I will look through the database and see if there is more I can do, but please be patient."

T.J gave Lisa a supportive hug for a moment.

Lisa, looking in T.J's general direction said "I understand T.J; I'm starting to get use to it."

Greer squeezed her hand with affection and put his arm around her to assist getting off the bed. They thanked T.J and left the infirmary, with Greer asking Lisa where she would like to go.

"The dome please, if I can't see it, I still want to at least smell and feel it."

She asked Greer to describe what he could see when they got inside. He picked a strange fruit and handed it to Lisa saying;

"They told us all of this is safe to eat for humans. I've tried one of these and there well, not bad..."

He handed her the fruit which looked like a stretched out blue coloured pear, with a soft furry skin similar to a peach. He helped her peel the skin off with his combat knife; she smelled it, enjoying the aroma before taking a bite. The flesh was soft, sweet, and surprisingly juicy with a slight tart after taste. The flavour was like a cross between an orange and a passion fruit. She giggled as juice squirted out on her hands.

"Wow, that tastes really nice" as she devoured it like a hungry animal.

It was the nicest thing she had eaten in a long time. They sat there for a while, with Lisa enjoying the cool misty rain and fresh scents of the dome.

"I can't believe it rains in here constantly; I know I can't see it, but in my mind I can...It is beyond amazing..." She couldn't describe it either.

Greer started to move, "I've been awake for more than 24 hours, I gota get some rest" he said as Lisa got up with him.

"General Young, you copy?" he waited for a reply.

"Sergeant Greer, this is Dr Rush; General Young has retired for the moment, and so has Lt. Scott. He asked me to let you know that you can as well" replied Rush.

Greer, always suspicious of Rush asked "So why are you still up Dr Rush?"

"I won't be shortly, just briefing Franklin and Brody on what's going on with the ship..." Rush tried not to antagonise MSgt Greer. He was telling the truth as Brody and Franklin had been resting for the last 10 hours to take the second shift on the bridge.

Satisfied, but still untrusting of Rush; MSgt Greer left the dome with Lisa on his arm.

Lisa said to him quietly, "I might need some company..."

Ronald smiled; he didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

><p>Back on the bridge Rush was finishing his handover instructions with Franklin and Brody. Franklin noticed something about the new life support system that had only arisen once everyone was released. It had dropped back to 90% after having been stable at 110% as Eli had found out. Although it was a perfectly safe level, the unbalancing far exceeded the extra amount of CO2 gases released from the rest of the people onboard. Rush instructed him to keep an eye on it, and if it continued to drop, alert him directly.<p>

As Destiny closed in on the star with only hours to go, Nicholas and Amanda were still fast asleep in his quarters. Brody called them on the ships intercom, assuming Amanda (correctly) had stayed with him. Rush awoke, hearing the call with Mandy in his arms, decided to asked Destiny to switch his intercom rather than going over to the CI console and pressing the button.

"Destiny could you please engage my side of the com's system" he asked politely still holding Mandy in his arms.

To his surprise, a beep signalled the channel open; so he spoke "Yes Mr Brody, what is it?"

"Um...we'll be dropping out of FTL in just over an hour to recharge, over."

"Ok, thanks Adam...How's the life support been?"

Brody, a bit shocked the impatient Dr Rush had called him by his first name, replied with Franklin's and his theory; "Yeah, it seems to have stabilize back at 105% and has been steady ever since. We think it may have been all the traffic opening and closing the doors constantly that caused the imbalance."

"Good work Mr Brody that makes a lot of sense. We'll be there soon; Rush out" the console beeped and turned off.

Amanda, looking at her love, she placed her hand on his rough unshaven face and said;

"You should say thank-you..._to her_"

He got the hint; "Thanks Destiny..."

Amanda and Nicholas went to the mess and ate before heading to the bridge. They met General Young along the way greeting each other with small talk.

"Have you seen young Mr Wallace or Ginn this morning yet General?" Rush appeared to be in a very good mood for a change.

"Not yet, but I believe they would be in Eli's quarters" he commented with a knowing smile.

As they reached the bridge, Brody and Franklin were talking to Chloe and Matt. Chloe was going through some calculations of the path Destiny had chosen to follow through the star.

Chloe spoke to all of them "Destiny's path looks good... we'll drop out of FTL in 25.00 minutes" she brought the trajectory map on the screen; "We are going around this gas giant for 145 degrees to increase speed" she motioned to the planet symbol on the screen.

"Thanks Chloe..." replied Young. Turning his attention to Lt. Scott he asked in a casual way;

"Scott, after we have made the pass through the star and all is safe, I want you to take several teams of people and begin exploring the ship. If the radios go out of range, use the ships com's to report in. Make sure the teams have an armed soldier with them at all times. Oh...and Matt, Varro can carry a small arms weapons kit if he chooses too, but not body armour." General Young was starting to trust Varro, but he would need to continually prove himself for a while yet.

Matt nodded, then gave Chloe a quick kiss on her forehead and left the bridge to inform Greer.

"Well we better wake up Eli then" Rush said as he took "Kirks chair" (now affectionately renamed by Eli after Young had said "I'm not Captain Kirk") and opened a com.

* * *

><p>Eli was awake, as someone had already woke him up in a very physical way. Ginn was now lying on his chest, her fingers intertwined with Eli's. She looked at him and giggled softly thinking about something.<p>

"What so funny...?" Eli smiled broadly at her.

"I believe, Mr Wallace...that you just took my virtue..." she giggled again.

Eli, a bit confused by the term looked at Ginn momentarily before realizing what she meant; "Oh... oh... um... I get it, ok...it's your new body and you haven't...um...been...um...tested yet?"

Ginn started to laugh at Eli's geeky embarrassment not knowing what to say.

She asked coyly "Well it has now Eli...did I pass?" to watch his cheeks turn a darker shade of red.

"Hell, Yeah...!" he was interrupted by the com.

"Eli this is Dr Rush, please respond"

Before he could ask, like Rush did to open the channel, a beep signalled it was open.

"I'm here Dr Rush"

"We'll be out of FTL in 20.00 minutes making a sweep toward the star..._Can the two of you please come to the bridge"_ Rush had a gentleness about the second request knowing full well what they would have been up too.

Ginn responded before Eli; "Ok Dr Rush, be there soon...Ginn out."

Amanda was smiling sitting at the console listening to the conversation. Everett and Nick just looked at each other with a grin shaking their heads knowingly; they would have been the same at Eli's age. Before they arrived, Everett asked Amanda if she had retained any of the ships medical database information. She hadn't given it a second thought for some time, but after a moment to "think" she found she could recall incredible amounts of medical knowledge _and more_.

"Wow, it seems to still be all in there..." she had replied pointing to her head.

"Ok, I'll need you to go and talk to T.J about Dr Volker's condition and make a plan...thanks Amanda" Everett smiled at her as he asked.

Eli and Ginn arrived on the bridge about ten minutes later. Young and Rush brought them up to speed. Eli, looking for a place to sit asked Dr Rush if he could have "Kirks" chair as there was some calculations he needed to do;

"As long as you don't _play _with the com's system...ok, Eli" Rush had a happy tone to his voice. Eli figured it was Amanda who was responsible for that.

Destiny dropped out of FTL not far from the planet, a greeny brown coloured gas giant; it was enormous being about 20 times larger than Jupiter.

"I'm reading large clouds of helium, sulphur, and ammonia in the atmosphere; this is weird...the planet appears to have a molten metallic core with an unusual magnetic field pattern around it: It doesn't seem to be affecting Destiny's systems. There are no detectable asteroids or belt around the planet; we should be safe to make the turn" informed Amanda.

Everett motioned to Eli "Let 'em know what's happening Eli."

He pressed the com switch; "Attention everyone, we are about to make the turn around the planet and head for the star; it might get a bit bumpy..."

Destiny started to skim around the edges of the gas giant, picking up tremendous speed in the process. The shields were at 100% which was a new experience for her human crew watching from the bridge and observation deck. All of them were amazed at how smooth the ride was this time, the new shields and dampeners working perfectly.

As they rounded out the planet at maximum sub light speed, plus their gravitational inertia of the turn:

A wormhole opened up directly in front of them and the Asgard ship "The Jackson" appeared; headed out on a direct frontal collision course within seconds of Destiny.

"AH...!" Eli yelled; Rush and Young screamed; "Eli...!"

Eli's lightening fast gamer reactions on the console overriding to manual control of Destiny; banking hard left, he threw her into a huge barrel roll around the Asgard ship and disappearing wormhole. Destiny's bulkheads groaned under the enormous stresses at this speed; systems blew out all over the ship and on the bridge behind them; people that were standing not hanging on to something got thrown around.

The manoeuvre only took a couple of seconds to complete, but it felt like hours to the crew. Eli steadied the ship and continued on the trajectory to the star.

"What in the hell was that?" General Young was in shock, like the rest of them.

Ginn, trying to calm herself down: "I think it was...the seeding ship...that repaired us..." she was panting, trying to catch her breath.

Rush, still recovering put his hand on Eli's shoulder "Good move Eli...good move..."

Eli finally took a breath, and sighed "Holy shit that was close..."

* * *

><p>As the crew on the bridge was collecting themselves, T.J was busy in the infirmary already treating the injured. Varro and Amanda were helping along with Camille and Vanessa, to get any injured to the infirmary. There were a few broken bones but mainly small cuts and grazes on most of the patients. T.J, Amanda, and Varro did their best to keep up, treating the worst cases first. Varro was doing his best to prove he belonged here, and besides he had taken quiet a shine to T.J and didn't want to let her down.<p>

Ginn was having trouble opening a com to the infirmary. In her frustration she found that there was damage in the system between them, so she tried another way;

"Destiny, can you please establish an open com link to the infirmary?" she asked politely.

A message appeared on her screen "Please wait, re-routing link." Then another a few second's later "Open communications link established" and a beep sounded.

They immediately heard the commotion in the infirmary; Everett took over "T.J this is an open link, how you guys doing?"

"Sir, we have a lot of minor scrapes and bruises, and four maybe five broken bones so far. Amanda and Varro are helping with the worst ones. Camille and Vanessa are assisting too. What the hell happened, General?"

"We had to avoid something that came from nowhere directly in our path...Eli did the best he could before we would of ploughed straight into it; caught us all by surprise." Everett didn't want to say what it was until things calmed down. "Do you need anyone there T.J?"

"No, I think we're ok for now Sir" she replied.

"Ok, if you need me just press the two top left hand buttons on the CI screen and talk, Young out"

Destiny continued her journey into the star to recharge. The shields were still at 98% only sustaining minor damage from the roll. The collectors automatically deployed and started charging; amongst the aftermath of the mayhem that had just happened, Rush was watching the amount of energy Destiny picked up from the star.

"This is incredible... she is recharging at a staggering rate" his scientific demeanour returning, then added; "I never thought those gaming skills of yours Eli would be useful for anything practical..." Rush was still grinning at Eli.

General Young, walking over and giving him an affectionate rub on the shoulder; "Thanks Eli..."

Destiny continued to collect energy through the star and eventually came out the other side to a welcoming party. This time, well and truly at a safe distance, the Jackson was holding at a full stop. Eli scanned her out of caution and found that their shields were resting at only 5%, and no weapons were armed. Slowing Destiny down to a halt only several miles from the Jackson, he lowered their shields to the same level. The CI beeped; a video communication was coming through.

"General Young, I'm getting a communications message..." said Eli as he fed it to the main screens.

"I am Asgard Daniel Jackson; we are sorry to have nearly collided with Destiny. We were not expecting you for another two days; we believe the magnetic field from the planet may have caused the wormhole to shift, and lock on to Destiny's power core; our sincerest apologies for the error... This is High Commander Ra'toli (pronounced ru-toll-e) of the Ursini High Command. We have come to complete some of the testing aboard Destiny now that the ship has recharged. May we beam onboard?"

General Young had a quick look around at everyone on the bridge. Eli had his finger on the hold button waiting; Young asked all of them:

"What do you think?"

All of them nodded; Rush looked at General Young:

"I think we need to trust them, General...they did repair the ship after all" it was a straight forward reply from Rush.

"Rush, quietly call Lt. Scott and have him wait outside the door...armed, just in case" replied Everett. "Eli, open the channel."

Standing in front of the screen General Young introduced himself; "I am General Everett Young of Icarus Base and Stargate Command of Earth. We accept your apologies for the near collision; it was just one of those things. You are welcome to come aboard."

With that, the two beings materialized on the bridge. Everett held out his hand in friendship to them. Asgard D.J knew of the traditional Earth greeting and shook his hand gently; Ra'toli followed suit.

Addressing Eli still seated in "Kirks chair", Ra'toli spoke; "You have great skill young pilot Eli Wallace, clever manoeuvre."

Eli still coming to grips with what he had managed to do; "Thanks, but it was more reaction than skill I think."

"Huh, you are modest too." Ra'toli smiled at Eli, although Eli didn't quite realise it.

"General Young, can we offer our assistance for any medical treatment or repairs sustained in the incident?" Asgard D.J inquired.

Everett thought about it for a moment knowing they would have everything to repair the ship's damage. "Thank-you, that would be a welcome gesture; please give me a moment to inform the crew."

Eli opened the com; "Go ahead General."

"Attention all personal, shortly we will have some guests arriving from the Ursini High Command off the Asgard ship called Jackson. They are here to finish off several maintenance issues and any other repairs we have just sustained. Please extend our full courtesy to all members of their party. You may notice a minor delay when speaking directly to the Ursini, as the ship is converting one language to another both ways; Young out."

Asgard D.J bowed his head to Ra'toli who then pressed something on his armband. Ursini technicians beamed in to the damaged areas of the ship. Two Ursini Medics beamed into the infirmary and introduced themselves to the crew. One of them recognised Amanda, as he had helped the Asgard reconstruct her body. They were impressed at T.J's and Amanda's abilities with the Ancient medical equipment they had mastered. The Ursini had brought some new equipment and technology with them to assist. They carried a gold coloured box about the size of a suit case; everyone that could, watched as they opened the box. There were several large black straps with rectangular metallic boxes attached to them. They sat on three pins that were attached to what looked like a control box with a small screen and several buttons.

"This equipment will assist you with healing times. It speeds up recovery by creating an artificial genetic bridge over the affected areas. In the case of a bone fracture, wrap the band around the area and leave on for 24 hours. It will be strong enough for normal use after that, and fully healed within 72 hours. The bridge will dissolve in the body within 48 hours of completed healing, and is painless."

T.J spoke to them "That man over there has a fractured left femur proximal to the patella, would this help him?"

The Ursini medic showed T.J which buttons to press to release the healing band. Both of them went over to the scientist who was in a great deal of pain.

T.J asked him, "What's your name?" Henry was his reply. "Well Henry, may we try this on your leg?"

He nodded a quick approval then added "Will it hurt?"

"You may feel a slight heating sensation at first, but the pain will dissipate quickly after that" was the Ursini's explanation.

Everyone watched as T.J helped the Ursini medic carefully slide the thin black belt under Henry's leg without causing him much pain. Henry felt a mild burning sensation for a few seconds and then the pain completely disappeared within about a minute.

"I can't feel any pain now; my thanks to both of you" said a slightly happier Henry.

"It has a desensitiser built in to shut down electrical signals from nerves, but he cannot walk on it for at least 24 hours. When it is healed, remove the band returning it to the box for charging. The case can be charged on Destiny's power plate system. Any red flashing buttons indicate charging required for that band. If all of the buttons flash, the case needs charging." The Medic was very clear in his explanations to T.J, knowing she would use this device on a very regular basis.

"Thanks, you have been a great help. There is one other thing I need to ask you before you leave..." T.J told him about Dr Volker's condition. The Ursini medic listened;

"It would be my pleasure to assist you" he kindly replied.


	5. Chapter 5

A big thank-you to everyone for your comments and encouragement. This episode may seem somewhat different (and I doubt the original production would have stepped this way), but it will lead on to much more challenges in coming chapters that are well under way. I will introduce 3 new human characters, all female, and leave you to put a face to their discription... (although with my character "Venna", I couldn't help but think of Modern Family's Sofia Vergara to play her part)...look out for more next week.

* * *

><p>SGU s03e05<p>

Explorers

Prologue;

Several days had passed since the two ships had met. The Asgard and Ursini had completed the repairs, and their Medic had assisted with the operation on Dr Volker and had offered some insight about the injury to Lisa's eyes. Dr Volker was now recovering quickly with the help of the new alien equipment that the Ursini had introduced. The Medic had trained T.J, Amanda, and Varro in the use of the more surgical types of alien tech; he also trained Lt. Scott, MSgt Greer, and 2nd Lt. James in emergency battle field techniques. This was to prove invaluable to them later on, but that was something they were yet to discover.

With the assistance of the Ursini, who had now become good friends with many of the humans, they had a much better understanding of Destiny and _her mission._ Asgard D.J and General Young had spent many hours together and had become very trusting of each other. Young finally understood why the Asgard had limited the stargate and the countdown clock; their reasoning was solid, and he agreed that his own leaders would use Destiny as a deterrent to attack Earth. She was now indeed a powerful ship with almost unmatched capabilities.

The Jackson opened a wormhole and vanished into the universe; their work for now all done. General Everett Young had truly come to understand that this was his calling; and where he was meant to be, here and now. He contacted Earth and updated General O'Neill.

* * *

><p>Vanessa Knocked on Camille's door.<p>

"Come in..." Camille replied knowingly of who it was; she knew this moment would come.

Vanessa entered and closed the door. Camille was sitting on the end of her bed; the bed that they had shared several days ago. Vanessa immediately saw that Camille had been crying and sat beside her. She went to put her arm around Camille, but she was kindly pushed away; Vanessa retracted the offer.

"We need to talk..." said a sad Camille.

"I know..." replied Vanessa, feeling another heartbreak coming on.

"I'm not ready...I mean, it's not that I don't want you... I just don't know how I feel at the moment" Camille was holding back the tears. "I know we have been away for three years and even when I contacted Sharon, she had moved on; but to me it only feels like weeks, not years."

Vanessa could see her point; being in stasis stops time for you although everything else moves forward: including people. Sharon was left with nothing but time to grieve and eventually she had moved on. She still cared for Camille, but when she had visited her after coming out of stasis using the stones, Sharon had been dating someone for five months.

Suddenly Camille turned to Vanessa and put her arms around her neck. They embraced and kissed each other softly on the cheek, then the lips.

Vanessa spoke in whispers to her "I've got no one else and nowhere to go; I can wait if you need time..." as a tear began to roll down her face.

"Thank you... for understanding..." whispered back Camille

Vanessa gave her one final hug, got up and left wiping the tears from her eyes as she opened the door. She was lonely and confused too, but understood what Camille was going through. Her radio beckoned;

"Lt. James come in, this is Scott"

Collecting herself quickly she answered "James here..."

"Could you meet me in the gate room in full gear, where going to the first planet in 30 minutes"

"Copy that Scott, James out..." as she wipped the tears from her eyes.

* * *

><p>Greer, Scott, and James all met in the gate room along with several other civilian scientists. Rush dialled the gate to the first planet; they had about 8 hours to explore before Destiny would jump again. He sent a keno through; there appeared to be some kind of alter and ruins around the stargate, with all the readings coming back safe for life.<p>

"Air and temperature is normal Lt. Scott..." said Rush.

Scott looked at General Young for conformation "Proceed with caution Lieutenant..."

They disappeared into the stargate and come out on the other side. A stiff dry breeze met them as they walked down the ramp of the stargate watching for any movement.

"Destiny copy, this is Scott, over"

"Go ahead Scott" replied Young.

"Sir there doesn't appear to have been any signs of life in this area for a long time" conveyed Scott.

"Understood Lieutenant, keep a watch out"

"Will do Sir, Scott out"

They scouted around for a while surveying the area; it looked very similar to earth with green trees and dry brown grass. The ruins of the collapsed temple had some glyphs that were unrecognisable to them. Satisfied they were fairly safe; Scott closed the gate and gave the all clear for the science team to start testing the ground, and collecting samples of vegetation.

Greer spoke to Scott "Do you get the feeling where being watched?"

"I don't know... it all seems to perfect, doesn't it..." replied Scott.

Greer heard something from across the field in front of them. They got everyone to drop behind cover; the Airman and Marines had their weapons at the ready. The noise of something travelling through the forest got louder as it came closer; an animal appeared from the forest line. It looked similar to a cow but half the size; it had one tail that split into two at the end, and large ears that looked like they belonged to an elephant. They had an amazing grey-green blotchy camouflage pattern that blended well with the forest; another two cautiously followed the first. A smaller one followed with the largest one at the rear.

"Guessing the big one at the back is Daddy..." whispered Greer to Scott

They looked at each other with the same thought and smiled...meat!

"Can you get a shot from here?" asked Scott

"Yeah, but a tough one about 600 yards...I need to get closer" remarked Greer as he looked for a way over to them.

Scott tapped his shoulder and pointed over behind the ruins;

"Looks like the way..." whispered Scott

Greer backed away from the fallen pillar of the ruins they were behind, and carefully made his way around closer to the beasts. They had stopped to drink from a small waterhole about 350 yards from where he was now. He took aim at one of the middle size animals, finger on the trigger;

Two blasts and flashes of light ripped out of the forest to the right of the field in front of them with one of the animals falling over. Greer with his finger on the trigger watched as the other beasts took to the safety of cover; two more shots of light flashed across the field to where they entered the forest. Another beast fell.

Greer whispered in the radio to Scott "Where not alone..."

Scott whispered a reply "Stay down Sergeant... wait and see who comes out"

The team stayed deathly still as they watch three beings ride out on what humans would call unicorns; the size and shape of a horse with a definite single horn on top of their snout like a rhyno. The beings where wearing full coats with hoods making them undistinguishable against the forest. They rode over to the downed beasts and dismounted. The first rider pulled down their hood exposing their features, and then removed the coat.

Greer had the closest view; "Holy moley...what the f...!" he whispered to himself; then on the radio: "Are you seeing the same thing I am?"

"Yeah, I see it..."said Scott "this can't be real..."

"What the hell is this place...a movie set or something?" MSgt Greer was at a loss for words as he radioed Scott.

It was a woman, a tall stunning human woman with long dark hair all they down her back. She wore a tight short skirt that looked like leather and a matching ample chest plate that complimented her slightly olive skin.

* * *

><p>"What do you think, should we make...contact with them?" asked Greer quietly to Scott with almost a laugh in his whispering voice.<p>

"Negative Sergeant, just sit tight and wait it out" was Lt. Scott's order, still not believing what they were watching.

Without warning, Vanessa screamed in pain; a snake looking creature had attacked and bitten clean through her boot, in reflex she pointed her weapon and fired several shots killing the creature, before she appeared to pass out. The trio on horseback turned around and immediately made their way to the noise, weapons drawn.

"Greer, stay hidden we may need you later" Scott's course whisper across the radio. He stood up and ran out from cover and headed to Lt. James.

Reaching Vanessa first he lowered his weapon and knelt down next to her, feeling for her pulse. She was conscious and breathing but appeared to be paralysed; her eyes flickered and look at him, she was scared.

"Who are you...?" Demanded the woman in perfect English standing in front of Scott pointing the weapon at him:

"I am Lieutenant Matt Scott of the Ancient ship Destiny...we are not here to harm you" hoping like hell they understood.

"Then put down your weapon...Lieutenant Matt Scott" She was beautiful, but a demanding Lady.

Matt slowly removed his rifle for his shoulder and laid it on the ground. Greer had a perfect shot from his position but waited; he didn't want to start a fight. The woman now lowered her weapon, looking at the dead creature and said to Scott;

"Your friend has been bitten by a Cell-serpent; she will remain motionless for several days until the effects wear off; after that she should be fine."

The other two beings had dismounted and were standing guard. They had pulled their hoods back to reveal similar stunning features, both of them female.

"How did you get here, where is your ship?" her next questions, as Scott had expected.

"We came through the stargate" he replied.

She gave a disbelieving laugh, "That relic does not work, and it never has worked in my lifespan."

Scott asked; "Well I could show you if you like..." hoping that Greer would radio into Destiny the situation; and she would let him open it.

Scott with his hand still on Vanessa's shoulder gently pulled the keno control out of his bag.

"We can dial the gate with this, shall I show you?" He asked very carefully

"Prove it, Lieutenant Matt Scott" she replied abruptly, not believing his "lies".

Matt dialled the gate; they jumped back in surprise as it sprang to life, the blue watery wave firing out and in as the wormhole stabilised itself. Immediately Greer radio to Destiny the situation very quietly.

Matt replied "At the other end of that is our ship... will you let me take Lt. James back for treatment?"

"No. You may not leave" was her stern response.

Greer kept his hand on the radio so Destiny could hear what was going on. Back onboard, General Young organised a heavily armed team to the ready including him.

"Dr Rush, Destiny is yours until we get back" he led the assault team through the wormhole.

Fifteen heavily armed Marines, Airmen, and General Young appeared from the stargate, vastly out numbering the three women, and took defensive positions around them. The girls, staring at all the men, dropped their weapons.

General Young introduced himself "I am General Young of Stargate Command and Destiny, we are explorers and not here to harm you. All we want to do is take our injured member back."

He motioned to his men; two of them quickly got Lt. James on a stretcher, grabbed the dead creature hoping to use it to find an antidote; they headed back through the stargate carrying Vanessa's paralysed body .

The first woman finally spoke "I am Venna leader of the Artá people...we wish no fight with you"

Young told his men to stand down. "We are sorry to have disturbed you, which were not our intentions. We will leave immediately."

Everett didn't want to explore a planet at the inconvenience of its people. The scientists came out from hiding along with Greer, who stood by General Young's side. Most of them got back through the stargate before one of the other women grabbed Venna on the arm saying;

"Please Venna, they can help us, you know they can..." her words were pleading to her leader.

* * *

><p>"Help you with what?" asked General Young<p>

"Nothing, it is not your concern... now leave" Venna replied sternly.

"No...! Please help us, we have a plague that is killing our men, or species is dying out..." Venna cut her off with a look, but it was too late:

"What do you mean killing your men?" Asked General Young showing genuine concern;

"Ignore her, she is lying!" demanded Venna.

"Please Venna, they may have a cure!" she pleaded again: "We need help Venna, before there is no one left to breed with."

Greer raised his eyebrows and thought to himself; "This _can't_ be real...foxy women and unicorns...I gota be dreaming..."

Finally Venna conceded defeat. She was an immensely strong woman in character and physical strength, but she knew they couldn't fix the problem on their own. Although they had reasonable technology, attempts to find a cure took too long: their race had been decimated. This disorder had nearly wiped out the male species with only a few pockets of isolated people, most of them female, now left; so she told them.

"This is Te'arly", Venna looked at the one who had pleaded with her, "And she is right, our men are dying."

General Young asked a scary question "You said it was from a plague... that only affects men...?" fearing that they may have been infected.

"It affects them before maturity, they then become unable to reproduce and die in there early mid years." Venna now had lost her demeanour and Young sensed her holding back incredible pain.

MSgt. Greer asked for clarification on something "What do you mean by mid years?"

"The years during which they would have reached maturity, after being a child..." replied Venna holding off the tears.

They all guessed that meant early teenage years. Scott, Young, and Greer were a bit struck that these women where only in what they thought to be their "Thirty's", and wondered when this plague had started. Young spoke; the obvious question:

"How long ago did this start...when did you know something was wrong?"

Te'arly answered with Venna looking on "Through our mid years boys our age started to become sick and die after a short time; it started with one or two, but within a year it was nearly all of them spreading across the planet."

General Young thought about this trying to understand their situation and then asked "What about older men, surly there must be some alive from before all this happened?"

Venna answered "Yes, there are a few left...they are old and their breeding only brings death."

Scott suggested; "General, maybe we should go with them and see what's going on..."

Te'arly put her hands up to stop them and said "No, you can't go to the village, it may be dangerous."

Venna added looking over at Scott and Greer; "She is right, you are new men...it would cause...issues for all of us" she chose her words carefully.

Scott looked at the keno control; they had been there nearly two hours, and the gate had been open for about ten minutes now.

"Sir, we have to close the stargate, soon...like now" said Lt. Scott concerned about the enormous power it was using from Destiny.

General Young's gut feeling got the better of him, knowing that somehow they were here for a reason; the Artá people really did need help. They didn't have much time before Destiny would jump back to FTL, but he knew that a cure or help would take much longer; thinking about the new alien tech they now had, he _had to try something._

"We have someone that may help, but we only have six hours left before we have to leave. I can't promise you anything, but we can try." Young Said to Venna;

"Can I come with you, I may be able to help; I am a healer..." Te'arly was adamant about helping, and unknown to Young; pregnant with a boy.

Venna looked at Te'arly and nodded her approval; looking at General Young she said; "She is right, she will be able to help...please..." Venna hugged Te'arly.

"Sir...the gate; now..." Scott ordered, and with Greer went up the ramp; Te'arly walked between them and stopped at the gate, scared.

General Young behind her said "it's ok... you'll be fine." He looked at Scott: "You two stay put, watch the gate..."

"Yes Sir..." replied Lt. Scott; Greer smiled broadly at him.

* * *

><p>General Young held Te'arly by the hand and walked her into the stargate; the flash of the blue tunnel of time and distorted space was over in seconds. The Two of them appeared in the gate room on Destiny stepping out of the blue fluid of stargate; it closed moments later.<p>

"Welcome back General..." said Rush; "Who's your scared friend?"

Te'arly had never seen a star ship, let alone been on one before. There were stories of how they got to their planet on a star ship from a distant world, but she never thought that she would get to see one in her lifetime. She was scared standing there with her hands by her side almost shaking; still squeezing Everett's hand.

"Rush, we need Amanda...fast" said Everett

"She's pretty busy right now with Lt. James..." replied Rush with a "Don't you remember what just happened" tone of voice.

"I know... this is Te'arly and she may be able to help; I need Amanda here, _now_" Young was losing his patients with Rush again.

Rush called her on the com "Mandy we need you in the gate room, its urgent please."

In the infirmary, Amanda looking at T.J and Varro for conformation; Varro said "Go, we'll be fine"

She ran to the gate room expecting an emergency, only to find Everett standing with a scared but very beautiful woman beside him. She slowed up and looked at the two of them as they headed toward her, wondering what was so urgent.

"Amanda, this is Te'arly, she knows about the creature that attacked Lt. James, and she is a healer..." Everett let go of her hand.

Te'arly was silent trying to take in where she was as Amanda looked at her and spoke gently.

"I'm Amanda Perry; I am a healer too... I know this place looks scary, but I need you to come with me please." She took Te'arly by the hand and led her off in the direction of the infirmary.

Amanda, Te'arly, and Everett moved swiftly to the infirmary where T.J and Varro were working on Vanessa. Her condition was stable, but she was almost completely paralysed from the neck down, with only slight forceful movement of her shoulders and arms.

Seeing this, Te'arly walked up to her and looked in her eyes; "Don't try to struggle, it will only prolong the effects of the toxin; I know it's hard but you must try to relax and it will dissipate quicker."

T.J looked at Te'arly... "Have you been bitten before?"

"Yes, when I was very young." she replied.

Varro turned to Te'arly and T.J; "Please, what can you tell us about this creature and its effects?"

While Te'arly told them what she knew, another conversation was going on between Amanda, Everett, and Rush who had tagged along.

"So, what you're saying is that this disease affects pre-adolescent boys and then kills them a few years later in their teens." Amanda mulled this over using her masses of memory to look for an answer; and it wasn't long before she said:

"It sounds more like it has become a genetic fault; maybe it started as a virus but progressed into their DNA chains that only affects boy of a certain age. You're saying that there are only a few old men there, who cannot produce successful male offspring?" Recalled Amanda;

"That's what Venna, their leader, said; and there wasn't that many left from what we could work out." replied Everett.

Rush spoke up "If their population is small without many different streams of genetics, it is probable that this is common to all the remaining men; a genetic disposition of sorts. The only true way to fix it is to change the genetic batch..."

Amanda agreed. "General, we don't have enough time before we jump to FTL for us to fix it. We can modify the DNA chains to alleviate the problem, but not in the time we have. It could take weeks or months; even with this entire alien tech at our hands."

Everett nodded at them "I agree, we don't have the time."

Rush came up with an interesting answer "There is one thing that may work, but... it wouldn't be what you would call _ethical_."

Amanda caught on quickly; "No way, Nicholas, we can't."

"We can't what?" asked Everett, not sure what the answer would be.

"He is talking about...well sperm donation; change the genetic pool so to speak..."Amanda was sort of scolding Rush in her reply.

"No way, that sounds like a sick si fi film... there has to be another way." Everett looked at Nicholas with a hard intent look.

"Not in the time we have General."

Amanda, scouring through her brain came up with another Idea. "Where is the next planet we will arrive at...will it still be in range of the first stargate?"

Rush caught on, "I'll get Eli and Brody to check it out. Timing will be our main issue."

General Young agreed with the theory, but as a practicality: "I see where you're going with this, but back tracking through the gates...we don't know what will find at the next one. What if we can't get back?"

"Not us General...Te'arly. We teach her how to use a control and dial the gates; she can take herself back with the cure." replied Rush in a very practical way.

Everett thought about it for a few minutes, remembering that Scott and Greer where alone on a planet with mainly, form what they had seen, beautiful women.

Speaking to both of them Everett said; "We don't know what's ahead on the next planets, and we would need a clear run for her. If we came across a hostile planet before we had a cure; she may have no way back. It's a risk either way." Everett was trying to cover all the bases.

Amanda was sincere about it; it was going to be a risk either way. "It's not _our _risk General, but if we do nothing, they will all eventually die. At least they have a chance this way."

* * *

><p>Lt. Scott and MSgt Greer had begun to talk to Venna and Matá, the third woman. She was different to the other two ladies having an athletic build with long strawberry blonde hair and pail complexion; almost albino, but just as stunning as the others. The Guys had gotten past their concerns and were talking about the animals that they were hunting, and what they were looking for on the planet. Greer asked about their weapons which looked similar to a Goa'uld staff. Venna handed it to him for close inspection with the phrase;<p>

"Careful how you handle that" with a sly grin on her face.

They were several miles from the village and well out of earshot, so boys being boys (around pretty women); decided to show the ladies how to fire their weapons. Greer stood and fired at a tree several hundred yards in the distance, on full automatic. The girls ducked for cover at first, but then stood astounded by the noise and accuracy of the alien weapon. Greer offered the HK416 to Venna, showing her how to hold and fire it correctly. She took hold of it, following his instructions to the letter and fired; she was surprised at how lightweight and controllable it was, and had managed to hit the target 100 yards in front of her.

"Our staffs are much quieter; this would scare the prey" she replied very practically, "but, it was much fun to use... thankyou Sgt. Greer...for your trust." She handed the HK416 back to him smiling...

Back on Destiny standing, holding on to the rail in the observation deck with Everett, Te'arly looked on completely awestruck by the view; at the size of the ship and the amount of stars she could see.

"It's incredible...we don't have a word that describes what I can see..." she calmly said to Everett.

"Huh..." Everett smiled as he took in the view; "Neither do we..."

Amanda and Rush entered the observation deck and stood beside them. Looking out into the stars, Amanda said;

"I will never get tired of this view...it Just goes on forever."

Smiling, Dr Rush started to explain their plan to Te'arly about going back through the stargates to reach her own planet.

"We have mapped out the stargates along our path; they are all within "calling" distance of each other. We believe that some may be able to reach your gate directly, so we'll try to get to those gates first."

"So I will have to stay here on your ship until you find a way to help us?" she asked cautiously.

Everett put his hand on hers for comfort and said, "We are not forcing you to stay against your will, but we cannot help you any other way; our own mission is heading forward on this path through your galaxy. You would have to stay with us until we have found...the answer."

Rush looked at her and said gently: "We cannot always change our destiny, but we can all be the masters of it." He watched as a smile of understanding came across her face, then added; "That is something we say on our home planet."

"I must speak to Venna and Matá first; I will need their understanding and blessing" Te'arly had made her decision; and chosen her own destiny, come what may.

General Young, looking at the time said "We don't have long until we jump to FTL...in just over an hour. We need to go now."

They headed back to the gate room.

* * *

><p>Greer and Scott stood up and readied their weapons as the gate started turning, just in case. The signal came through for Destiny, and they lowered their guns. Everett, Te'arly, and Amanda walked out to meet Venna and Matá. After the greetings, Te'arly explained the situation to them hoping they would understand. Although these people didn't have the same technology as Destiny did, they had access to better than current mainstream earth tech. Venna had put their numbers at less than 100,000 people, with less than 10% men. The youngest man was now about 58 earth years or a child under 10, compared to the girls whose ages were around mid thirties.<p>

"I cannot see any other way to help us survive Venna" said Te'arly with a tear in her eye. "They have technology far beyond our own, with people capable of finding a way to help us."

"You ask this of your own fee will?" Venna believed her, but asked anyway.

"Yes, they have told me that it is _our_ decision to make...and I have chosen to trust them." She replied with sternness in her voice.

"What of you Matá, do you wish the same?" Venna believed that the two of them may stand a better chance if something went wrong; but she had also come to understand, believing that Scott, Greer, and their race had honour.

"Yes, I will go too" replied Matá.

MSgt. Greer handed Venna a live round from his rifle "I'm sorry I don't have anything better to leave you...thank-you Venna, it has been an honour to spend time with...a true warrior."

Lt. Scott held out his hand to Venna; she moved her hand to his and curled her fingers in his. He smiled and let her go, as a lump formed in his throat.

"Te'arly, Matá; our hearts go with you, and mine" she looked at General Young "Please find a way to help us...and look after them...if we are too late, they may be the only people from our race left"

"You have my solemn promise..." smiled Everett, taking the world on his shoulders again.

The girls hugged as Amanda, Greer, and Scott walked back through the stargate leaving them behind. Venna let them go with the words; "Please...save us..."

They walked through the stargate; it closed...and they were gone.

Hearing noises from the bushes behind her, Venna spun around to see two other women standing there.

"Do you think they can help us Venna?" one asked

"I hope so...or we're all lost" she looked down at her feet...and broke down crying.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone reading. I must have read this chapter a dozen times before submitting it, and it wasn't easy to write. My suggestion would be "put yourself in their shoes" as you read this, and you will (at least I hope you will) understand the title "Choices". (AlexD thanks for your help) Please enjoy...

PS to Col Bishop, look out for episode 08 and somewhere around ep 15 answers are coming; you weren't the only one asking that question about the Asagrd. As for "Millions of Galaxies"... my bad, should have read something like; "Hundreds of thousands of Planets" (BTW, I haven't watched the first series for quiet a while, maybe 2 years) thanks for the review, and I do try to stay around the lines of the original, blending in to new directions, evolving technology and people...especially Destiny's "abilities".

Hope you all enjoy this one...

* * *

><p>SGU s03e06<p>

Choices

Te'arly and Matá were holding onto the guard rail in front of the observation deck window, at a complete loss for words watching the shimmering bluish white glow of FTL flight. They had only been onboard for just over 3 hours, one of which was still being spent in the same position. Both of them were experiencing things they never dreamed possible, and their minds were trying to adjust. General Young walked into the observation deck and stood beside Te'arly, and just watched the exceptional view with them.

"I could watch this forever, General Young..."Te'arly didn't take her eyes off the view.

"It's pretty amazing...isn't it?" He replied, and then added "You can call me Everett if you like..."

She turned towards him and spoke "So, what happens now...Everett?"

Everett looked back at her and smiled "Amanda Perry has some tests that she will need to do, on the both of you. She will need a sample of your blood to try to isolate what is causing...the problem."

"Will that hurt?" asked Matá

"No, it's painless...and only a very small amount will be required" he said reassuringly.

"I need to go check on Lt. James..." he smiled at Te'arly who was beaming back at him; "Enjoy the view."

They turned back to the window as Everett made his way to the infirmary. Camille had been woken up by Amanda after T.J and Varro helped Vanessa to be as comfortable as they could. Amanda kept to herself the knowledge about Camille and Vanessa; she had been keeping a lot of secrets lately. Varro was hard at work examining the Cell-serpent creature using the alien equivalent of an electron microscope combined with a mass spectrometer; another gift from the Ursini. Camille was sitting by Vanessa's side gently holding her hand, and in a position that Vanessa could see her. Everett walked in as T.J and Varro were standing _close_ together looking at the results being displayed on the machine. He strolled up to them quietly until Varro turned around, sensing he was there;

"General, come and look at this, it's really quite remarkable" he said with a smile on his face.

T.J immediately took a slightly nervous step to the side as Varro spoke, and then added; "Sir, this machine is amazing, it has identified the toxin already!" She sounded excited by the discovery, but some uncertainty was hiding behind her words.

"Can you create an antidote for it..." he asked Varro, in a slightly uneasy tone.

"Yes General, I believe we can but it will still take some time" replied Varro positively.

"Ok, good work; stay on it" Young headed over to his wounded soldier.

He looked directly into Vanessa's eyes and placed his hand on top of hers, hoping she could feel it.

Speaking softly to her he said "Hi Vanessa, were all here for you. T.J and Varro are making progress, but it may still take a while..." Young fought back his own tears, and sat with them for a few minutes, until Lt. Scott called.

"General, where ready to do the ship search...we'll meet you in the gate room in five, Scott out."

Eli and Chloe were on the bridge with Franklin and Brody. Chloe's mathematical ability was increasing every day, so Eli had given her Kirks Chair for a while. She had no difficulty in controlling the ship's systems from the CI, and was going over there course calculations when a blip appeared momentarily. Destiny's long range sensors had detected something, but only for milliseconds.

"Eli, we just picked up a signal of something...but it only lasted milliseconds" said Chloe in a surprised tone.

"It might of been just some deep space radiation, can you try and isolate it?" asked Eli;

Chloe replied "I already did, but it didn't last long enough to get a trace...we lost it"

"Just keep an eye on it in case it returns..." Eli not fazed by her discovery, continued his search of Destiny's new areas on the CI. Brody was chatting to Franklin about the two new arrivals, keeping their opinions toned down since Chloe was sitting right there. The girl's presence on the ship had caused a great deal of scuttlebutt, especially by the male dominated "crew". Chloe finally lifted her head and said in a sarcastic tone;

"I am here... and female...remember guys?"

Franklin and Brody turned to each other with a "busted" expression on their faces.

"Sorry Chloe..." they both apologised in unison.

They got back to work with Brody announcing shortly after; "We'll be in shuttle range of the next planet within an hour and 30 minutes."

Eli asked, "Has there been any readings from there yet?"

"Yeah, we're not really that far from it, and I'm starting to get some sensor info back; looks like it has huge mineral deposits..." Adam was busy looking at the early data.

General Young and three other teams of military and civilians went out exploring the ship. Eli was feeding them door codes and other info from the bridge, directing Everett to the armoury he found. They reached it and opened the door;

"Wow...mother lode" said Greer

The CI com just inside the door lit up; Eli said to Young, "There are full instructions on how to use all this gear General, and weapon specs; stuff like that..."

"Ok, thanks Eli...Young out"

They walked through the rows of handheld arms; Greer went to get a closer look at one of the alien "rifles", but the General stopped him.

"Not until we know what were dealing with Sergeant, I don't want to risk any damage to us or the ship." Walking back to the com he pressed the button "Eli, can you display the handling procedures for their infantry weapons on this screen?"

"One minute General...you should have them now" with that, they popped up on the screen with a message on the bottom.

"Virtual Holographic Instruction"

Greer looked over Everett's shoulder; "What do you think General...give it a go?"

Looking at Sergeant Greer and smiling, Everett touched the screen.

"Initializing Holographic Presentation...please wait";

The lights in the room dimmed down and in the centre of the room a circle about four feet in diameter appeared; an instructor from the Ursini appeared in holographic form up from the circle and spoke:

"Please gather around for the presentation." He looked around the room at the guys standing there; "This is an interactive hologram and I can answer questions, but please wait until after your instruction."

Greer said quietly to his General, "Now this is cool...pity we don't have this back home."

Everett nodded with a grin on his face, enjoying the alien training program. The Ursini commenced with the presentation and instructed the humans about every weapon at their disposal. All of them watched as demonstrations of their power and range was given. In short, the rifle was about the size and shape of the HK416, but worked similar to a rail gun that could fire a "bolt of plasma type energy" at nearly 10,000 meters/second without recoil; with a firing rate of 2000 rounds/min.

It had a reusable magazine that held enough energy for 3 minutes of continuous use, and two weapons could be connected together side by side and fired with one hand. A motion sensor and range finder was built in, being very accurate to a distance of 2 Earth miles; it could be fired immersed in water, sand or dirt. Everyone was extremely impressed, it was a formidable weapon. There was a "pistol" version with less power, range, and capacity; that looked strikingly similar to a "Desert Eagle" .50cal pistol from Earth.

Greer said it best "Awesome, I want one!"

The presentation ended and several of the men asked technical questions about some of the weapons. When all were finished the hologram ended saying it could be replayed anytime, anywhere in voice form on the ship. They dropped out of FTL a few moments after it finished.

"General Young, we have arrived near the other planet Sir. It doesn't look to friendly, but I'm reading huge mineral and raw material deposits" announced Brody.

"Ok...where on our way back, Young out" he walked out; several of the men, especially MSgt Greer, carried some of the new weapons, and locked the blast door.

* * *

><p>Destiny slowed almost to a complete stop within 20,000 miles of the planet. From this point they could get a good picture of what the surface was like as Destiny slowly navigated her way around the planet with Chloe at the controls. They scanned the surface until they picked up a signal from something orbiting around the planet; General Young entered the bridge with Dr Rush.<p>

"What have we got guys?" Young asked.

Franklin spoke "There is some sort of satellite in a decaying orbit around the planet. Our scans indicate it may be from the planet" he was still making sense of the data.

Rush thought for a minute, "You mean they put it there, like a communication satellite?"

"I believe so, although the temperature on the planet is over 250°C; there's no life on the surface that's for sure."

"There may be another answer for that..."said Brody with a sad note to his voice. "It looks like the planet has sustained a direct impact from a massive asteroid very recently, like within the last 200 years."

"How massive, Dr Brody?" asked Rush with a nervous wait for the answer:

"About...about the size of Alaska...a planet killer" he had trouble getting out the words as the lump was building up in his throat.

Chloe Gasped as an eerie silence of realization came over all of them; the population of the planet may have been completely annihilated within hours; or died from the nuclear winter that would have followed.

"Oh, God..."Chloe, putting her hand over her mouth, stated to weep.

General Young moved to her and placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder as she began to silently cry. A real sense of loss and sadness enveloped everyone on the bridge; all they could see was our own worst nightmare before them. This would have been a blue planet around the same size of Earth, now it was becoming Earth's sister planet, Venus. The green house effect from the dust cloud had warmed the planet quickly over a hundred or so years; the planets oceans were now in the atmosphere, crushing the surface.

"General, I know this is a terrible loss, but we need to talk about it...there are resources we need...for us to survive" Rush had great compassion in his voice.

Everett looked at Nick standing next Eli who had tear stains down his face.

"Ok Rush, I agree: We _all_ need to talk about this; apart from the obvious danger of the surface temperature, there are a lot of what if's...Dr Brody, Dr Franklin; I want you to do the most comprehensive search for life possible, if anyone has survived we need to help them in some way. We would want the same if our own planet had suffered this, I'll be damned if we do nothing to try and help." Everett had a fierce determination in his voice now; if by some miracle someone had survived, they were going to find them.

"Eli, open the com across the ship please" asked General Young;

Eli replied with a silent nod.

"Attention all personal, this is General Young; I am on the bridge and will address you all from here. We believe that the planet near us was impacted by an asteroid about the size of Alaska, not less than 200 years ago. I am sorry to inform you all, but it appears that the planet was completely inhabited at the time. The surface temperature is now at 250°C with no signs of life; however, we are performing more scans to see if any life has survived underground."

"The planet is still rich in mineral and ore deposits that we need for our own survival. I will open a 30 minute debate in the gate room for everyone to discuss our options. See you all there in 15 minutes, Young out."

Eli shut off the com. Young radioed Lt. Scott and told him to take six men to the new armoury and suit up for a possible landing on the planet. He then gave everyone on the bridge the chance to talk:

"Do any of you want to say anything?" he asked with genuine concern:

Eli spoke; "I'd feel like a vulture taking anything from this place..."

"Yeah, that's true" said Brody, "but it wasn't our fault that this happened, we are not responsible for this...it could have happened to any planet; including ours." He had made a good point.

They all went silent digesting the conversation. Everett spoke next;

"I agree with both of you; but as tragic as this was, we still need to survive. Keep going with the search guys, we owe them that." With that, Everett left the bridge and headed to the gate room.

Just about everyone had gathered in the gate room, with many opinions being thrown around. Everett stood on top of the stairs and waited until Camille and Rush had joined him and quickly briefed Camille; then asked for quiet. A hush came over the crowd.

"As you are all aware, we will need to take a vote about this situation. I am sure we all feel for these people, but we also have our own lives to consider as well. I will hand over to Camille Wray." Young looked at Camille; she knew this would be tough.

"I know that we didn't cause this to happen, and the people's fate was out of our control. What we need to understand now is how do we proceed for our own survival?" Camille was careful how she worded the question.

Rush then spoke up; "There are certain minerals and ores that we need to replenish our supplies, especially if we need to repair the ship after damage, and some elements in our life support system. We won't know when the next planet will come along with the same materials."

Camille looked at the crowd, weighing up her own opinion; finally she spoke to the crowd of people:

"We will take a vote in ten minutes, with a simple yes or no to go down and collect what we need. This will not apply to any mission of rescue."

The ten minutes slowly went by. Lt. Scott had his men, along with MSgt Greer in one of Destiny's shuttles awaiting orders. General Young gave them a green light to "search" for anything including life on the surface. They undocked and headed toward the planet, scanning for the best deposit sites...and anything alive. Camille began to speak after everyone fell silent.

"We have launched the shuttle to look for signs of life. Can I please have a show of hands for "no"?"

Only a few put their hands up. T.J called out to Camille.

"Camille, we all feel sad for what happened...but we also need to be practical about our own situation. We still have a planet to go home to, even if it is across the universe; and that will take time and resources. The amount that we take won't hurt whatever happens to this planet..."

This seemed to be the general consensus with most of the crew. Everett contacted Scott and told him to get all they needed and get out. On the bridge, Brody and Franklin looked at each other with a heartbreaking stare. They had scanned the planet with Destiny's help up to 40 miles below the surface. There were signs of underground tunnels with large rooms that were intacked...but nil life forms; not even animals had survived. They passed the grim news on to Everett.

* * *

><p>The shuttle skimmed through the sky after entering the atmosphere of the planet. Under the clouds they air was hazy with scorching temperatures; they could see ruins of a once great cities that spread for hundreds of miles. They honed in on the highest reading of deposits just outside the city area. Scott ran several passes over the area and although it had been destroyed, it was clearly what was left of some type of mine or storage area for mined materials. They were reading all types of metals, elements, and ores so Matt found a sheltered place to set down the shuttle nearby in what would have been a well built old storage warehouse of some kind.<p>

Everyone in the shuttle went to full suits as Matt got ready to open the door.

"I have dialled back the shields, so we can walk through them, but I will have to remain here and increase them after you get out. If this heat gets inside the shuttle where all dead! Sgt Greer, you're in charge." Scott counted down from three and opened the door.

Greer was the first one out, carefully walking through the reduced shields; it felt like breaking through a thin plastic wrapping that sealed around him as he moved, the others followed suit. It was a strange sight that greeted them with a blistering heat haze making everything blurry, regardless of the distance.

MSgt. Greer spoke to Cpl. Reynolds through the suit com, watching the alien detection device readout. "I'm picking different materials all around us. Looks like it some kind of staging area for a lot of stuff...what we need is over that way."

He pointed in the direction of huge stock piles of ore about 100 meters away; there were several different looking materials beside each other. The troop headed over toward the mounds carrying stretcher nets made from large alien chainmail that they had found in the armoury; they had tested it with heat before they left Destiny, to see if it would survive. It would have been a strange sight to see if anyone had been left alive; six aliens in space suits, but this time humans from Earth were the "little green men".

They made it a short time later, having moved around several remains of old machinery now wasting away under the heat and pressure of the atmosphere. Greer's detector was telling him that it was a slightly balmy 255°C air temp with a pressure of 16 BAR (16 times the earth's atmospheric pressure at sea level; the equivalent of being 150 meters under water).

"Nice day for a suntan..." said Greer through the com.

Looking at the wreckage of one machine, Cpl. Reynolds suddenly jumped back:

"Um, Sgt. Greer...I got a body...um remains over here..."

Greer moved swiftly to the machine. The bleached skeletal remains were crushed under the machines cabin area, probably the driver. From what they could see, the bones looked identical to a human skeleton. The reality of this event sunk home; these were human beings like them: Such a great loss.

Greer said compassionately "Come on Corporal, we've got work to do..."

Another soldier called Greer, "Sir, it looks like we hit the jackpot; we have four out of five of the minerals we need. There are some others that will be useful as well; the only missing one is bauxite, but I'm getting a reading some 300 meters to our left."

Greer answered "Good work Airman, start collecting as much as we can."

"Copy that Sir" he replied.

Greer looked at Cpl. Reynolds and said "We'll go check it out..."

Cpl. Reynolds nodded a reply with the two of them setting off following the device signal. It took them several minutes to reach the mound they needed; looking at it together, they turned to each other:

"Ok...now what...?" said Greer.

The pile was fused together, which may have been from the heat generated by the impact. Greer moved to the bottom of the mound around some type of rusted machinery to get a closer look. He tried to pick up some of the ore but it was just a solid mass clumped together.

"There's only one way to fix this..." he looked at Cpl. Reynolds smiling, "let's try one of these!"

Greer pulled out one of the alien explosive device which was the equivalent of C4 plastic explosive. It worked in a similar way and could be triggered from the detection unit he carried. Remembering what he had seen in the training hologram, he and Reynolds set about positioning the explosive. Greer then called the other men on the com to warn them about the blast. After he was happy the explosive was correctly placed, Greer armed the device. They then moved away about 200 yards and hid behind a small mound of earth. He opened the suit com and raised his voice somewhat;

"Fire in the hole; fire in the hole... three...two...one..." he pressed the button.

The mound of ore exploded with a massive boom, and the two of them got covered in small debris.

Greer lay on his back and yelled "Woo Hoo...!" happy to blow something up.

Scott was party to the conversation linked into the shuttle's com;

Smiling he said: "Ok Sergeant...there's work to do remember?"

After waiting for a few minutes for the dust to settle, they ventured back to the mound to find lots of small chunks of ore scattered around the base. Both the men had a good look around to make sure it was safe to start collecting; the opened the mesh net and picked up some of the smaller pieces, moving closer to the mound. It didn't take long to fill one net, so MSgt. Greer closed it off and dragged it out of the way. Corporal Reynolds continued to collect ore close to the bottom of the mound and the old machine.

"Just like candy from a baby hey Sir..." said Reynolds to Greer

Greer had started to make his way back and just gave a short laugh, but then;

"Corporal, LOOK OUT!" screamed Greer over the com.

The top of the mound dislodged and started to crash down the side toward Reynolds; he turned on the spot and stared to run as fast as he could. He made about ten paces until he tripped on a boulder of ore that sent him crashing into the broken machine; sharp jagged metal easily tore a big gash through the flexible leg join of his suit, breaking its integrity. Instantly, the pressure from the atmosphere crushed the soft parts of the suit, as the internal gases escaped. Reynolds screamed in horrific pain as he tried to cover the hole with his hand.

Greer was now racing toward him, but he knew there wasn't hope to save him. Ronald had seen the footage of a Navy diver in a deep sea suit that had his whole body squashed into the helmet from a rapid deflation, and high pressure. As Reynolds kept screaming in pain from the crushing effect of the atmosphere, MSgt. Greer took the only action he could:

He drew his ancient pistol, and fired:

Two blasts of plasma energy hit Corporal Reynolds in the chest, killing him instantly; each shot went clean through his suit. Ronald turned away with tears in his eyes as the lifeless body became crushed beyond recognition within moments.

* * *

><p>Back on Destiny Amanda and T.J had started there tests on Te'arly and Matá. The ancient style injection gun was a painless way to inject medicine or draw blood; the two ladies had never seen technology like this so everything was new experience to them. After Amanda question them both about what they knew of the illness and their history, Matá struck up a conversation with Dr Volker who was in the last days of his recovery. Even with the new healing bands, life-threatening injuries like he had still took time to repair.<p>

Dale Volker was struck by how easy Matá was to talk too and like most of the guys onboard, thought she was hot. He tried his best not to sound geeky, but still found himself stuck for words at the worst times; Matá found it kind of sweet and funny, and unknown to him at the time, _she liked him._ Soon though, T.J told them that they could leave, and she would keep them up to date with how things were going. Te'arly stopped by Vanessa's bed as she was leaving; Lt. James was still paralysed but T.J had given her a mild sanative to keep her calm. Te'arly looking at Vanessa's eyes smiled and gently brushed her hair back:

"It will be ok...this will wear off soon" she looked up and deep into Camille's eyes and then back to Vanessa's; "You are surrounded by people who _love _you...that's all that matters." Te'arly gave Vanessa an affectionate kiss on the forehead, like a mother to a child; and left the infirmary.

General Young was sitting at his desk staring into nothingness when Chloe's voice cam through the com.

"General Young, I have Lt. Scott on an open com, I'll put him through..."

"Thanks Chloe" he replied; the com beeped "Go ahead Lieutenant."

"General" he paused, "um...Corporal Reynolds is dead Sir" Scott's voice couldn't hide the sadness he felt.

"What the hell happened...?" Everett's asked in shock:

"It's a long answer General, but in short..." Lt. Scott stopped and looked at Sergeant Greer who now had tear stains on his face staring out the shuttle windscreen.

"Scott..._what happened_...?" Everett repeated the question raising his voice.

"Um... his suit tore and..." he paused again looking at Greer's hollow eyes; "and...we couldn't save him Sir. Where on our way back with the ore...and Cpl. Reynolds. I'll debrief you when we get back Sir; Scott out."

"Yeah...you will Lieutenant..." General Young had harshness about his voice.

The shuttle docked back on Destiny; General Young organized a six man honour guard made up of Air Force and Marines awaiting the arrival. As the doors of the shuttle opened, the men inside just sat, heads bowed, and waited in silence. Three men marched in on each side and turned facing each other; they lent down and lifted the black body bag to waist height: no one spoke. They took Cpl. Reynolds remains to a make shift morgue in a storage area near to the infirmary; they placed the body on a table, stepped back, saluted, turned and left the room. General Young closed the door and evacuated the air to preserve the body until burial.

MSgt. Greer was still sitting in the shuttle; he had lost men before, but not by his own hand. This was something _he_ _really_ felt; was it right...could he of done something different...was there another way...the questions were swirling around his head.

"Sergeant..." called T.J at the door; no response; she spoke louder "Sergeant!"

Greer snapped his head around with a quick "Yes Ma'am..."

Lt. Scott was behind her and had quickly briefed her and Everett on what happened, before she approached Greer.

"Please come with me Sergeant..." she used a softer voice.

He looked at her and got up saying; "I've done a terrible thing Ma'am..."

"It's ok Sergeant Greer...we can talk about it..." She held out her hand, and placed it behind Ronald's back to steady him out the door; taking him to the infirmary with Matt's help.

About a half hour later, Lt. Scott made his way to General Young's quarters, knocked, and entered.

"How's Greer doing?" he inquired.

"Not good, he's a mess..." Replied Scott

"Damn it Matt...what the fuck happened down there!" Everett was really pissed now

"I think he just made the best call at the time Sir, I mean, he only had seconds to react; what else could he do?" Scott was trying to make sense of the events.

"What call would you have made...try and help or just shot the man..." Everett's anger was plainly evident; Scot was not sure what to say next.

"General...I believe I would have made the same call...Sir!" Scott fired back at him.

Everett raised his hands in front of his face; pushing forward as if pushing Scott away, grunted and turned away. He placed his hands on his hips and looked up; throwing his head back...General Young sighed and finally spoke.

"He was trying to save him from a painful death: I couldn't imagine what Reynolds must have felt in those few seconds. At least this way...it was quick..." he turned back to face Lt. Scott who was also dealing with it "The guy survives an attack by a wild animal only to get shot by one of his own..."

Young paused; then added "That will be all Lieutenant..."

"Yes Sir" Scott left him alone.

On the bridge Chloe was still in Kirks chair going over the new jump calculations. Franklin and Brody were assisting her, but Chloe was doing most of the work. She had learnt very fast how to control the ship, much to Dr Rush's disappointment, but he wasn't surprised by it. The countdown clock had almost finished and they had a few minutes left so, without anyone's permission she decided to take Destiny for a "spin" around the planet. She keyed in a request to Destiny and asked "her" permission to take a quick run; Chloe had worked out how to "talk" to the ship through the CI.

Destiny seemed to understand the human joke attached to what she was doing, and gave her complete manual control. Smiling to herself, Chloe increased the sub light engines and shields and "steered" her way around the planet gently so as not to alert too many people. Franklin looked up and turned to Chloe;

"Are you doing that...?" he was looking intently at her; Brody looked as well.

Chloe smiled and just put a finger to her lips and whispered in a very sexy way; "Shhhh..."

She completed the loop of the planet and set Destiny to her course for the jump to FTL. With less than a minute to go, the long range sensors picked up a faint but definite signal; the same time frame and signature as before. The boys were too busy getting over what Chloe had just managed to get away with and didn't pick up on the tiny signal. This time Chloe paid close attention and told the guys to "shut up" forcefully, while she tried to track it; she asked Destiny to help locate the signal and after a moment a message appeared only on her screen:

"We are being watched Chloe Armstrong."

Destiny jumped to FTL.


	7. Chapter 7

Hi All.

A warning to any young readers... the chapter contains a small amount of course language, and adult themes: you have been warned.

To everyone who has continued to read and comment, a big thank you. The have been a couple of reviews with questions, with the only thing I can say is too keep a look out for the subtle clues...answers are coming.

Please enjoy...

SGU s03e07

Standoff pt 1

Water everywhere; Chloe's eyes flashed open looking through the hazy water out into the room where they stood. She could feel the tingling in her mind as she smashed the underside of her fist against the glass; bubbles of air from the mask streamed through the liquid in which she was suspended. Screaming made no difference...and then pain, horrific pain raging through her body; she could feel the life being squeezed from her. Chloe tried to fight but it was too great; she gave in and...

"Chloe, Chloe, Chloe...baby its ok...your safe...your safe; you're with me baby on Destiny...your safe honey, your safe..." Matt did his best to calm her down, holding on to Chloe as she screamed uncontrollably.

The door opened and Vanessa, wearing only her underwear scurried through holding a pistol in her out stretched arm. Immediately she dropped her arm with the pistol, as Matt looked at her in surprise. Chloe had stopped screaming and was now whimpering on Matt's shoulder.

"Sorry Lieutenant, I heard the scream; and after Ginn I... I'll leave you alone" feeling embarrassed, she turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

Matt didn't think of how Vanessa had heard the scream as her quarters were some distance from them; Camille's room was the nearest to Chloe's. Matt hugged Chloe and they lay back down together, with his arm around her; she was now snuggled into his chest.

"They're coming again..." she whispered and squeezed Matt tightly.

He didn't have to ask: there was only one thing that would give Chloe nightmares like this.

The blue aliens chasing Destiny...

Vanessa climbed back into Camille's bed; sliding her arms around and caressing Camille's naked body.

"You know they're all going to work it out sooner or later..." Camille said, "I know the ship is big, but we all know everyone's business; it won't be long before our secret is out..."

"So let it _get out_...as long as I have you, I don't care..."Vanessa's had a smile in her words that only people in love can have; and she was past caring what other people thought.

Vanessa had spent 4 days paralysed by the venom of the Cell-serpent from the Artá people's planet, until Varro and T.J had managed to manufacture an antidote for the poison. She had time to think; a lot of time. Camille had stayed with her almost the whole time; T.J had a feeling something "more" was behind it, nevertheless Vanessa just needed to know someone_ was_ there. Te'arly was a regular visitor too; she worked out quickly that Camille and Vanessa had very deep feelings for each other, however it was not in her nature to gossip.

Camille never realised she would fall for Vanessa, and their first kiss had taken her by complete surprise; she still had a lot of things to work through about Sharon. Nearly loosing Vanessa had awoken her heart to how she felt about her, being the last thing Camille was expecting.

Camille helped Vanessa out of her underwear and tenderly massaged her shoulders slowly saying; "I didn't think I would fall for someone for a long time, least of all..." she stopped, not sure if she should say it.

Vanessa finished it for her "Least of all...me?" she wasn't angry at Camille's comment, she too was just as surprised at their relationship. "I never thought I would be..." she paused.

"A lesbian...?" Camille said, knowingly with a cheeky grin.

Vanessa just smiled looking deep into Camille's eyes; their feelings were mutual: they were falling in love. Vanessa kissed Camille softly...

* * *

><p>Eli knocked on General Young's door "It's Eli, can I have a moment please General?"<p>

"Come in son..." replied Everett

"Um...General, would it be possible to swap my time on the stones...for my mom to come here instead?" Eli was afraid of the answer in his cautious manor.

Everett looked at Eli for a moment then answered "You want her to meet Ginn...is that the real reason?" he had a hidden smile on his face.

"Um..." Eli paused, knowing what he was asking; "Um...that's part of it Sir" he was still a bit unsure of himself.

Everett couldn't hold his smile any longer and began to chuckle to himself "You really like her don't you...Eli?"

Eli relaxed seeing Everett smile "Yeah, I think I'm in love with her"; Eli was suddenly startled: "No...I _am in love with her..._" in that moment, he just realised for the first time what he was feeling.

"I'll arrange it Eli, Dr Rebecca Jenkins has a turn coming up; and she is about your mother's age so it won't feel too weird" Everett wanted to do something for Eli to thank him for all he had done since they had came aboard, he now had the chance.

A slap in the face with a wet fish wouldn't have stopped Eli's smile "Thank you General...!"

"You're welcome son" Everett watched with a smile as he left; in some way he felt like a father to Eli and had seen him show incredible courage dealing with their situation.

General Young got up from his desk and went to the bridge. He found Nick and Mandy, with Brody going through system checks while the FTL drive was active. It had been nearly three weeks in FTL flight to the next system and everyone had tried to live as comfortably as they could; they were still exploring the ship and had found lots of different areas, rooms, workshops, and a hidden hanger big enough to fit several shuttles or F-302's should they have the chance. Everett walked up to the front control CI looking out of the bridge, without turning he said;

"Dr Rush, I need to report to Earth when we come out of FTL...and I'll be taking some personal time as well" Everett waited for Rush's reaction.

"Ok General, I suppose Telford will take your place...?" he smiled as he spoke.

"He probably will I expect...I am also organizing for Eli's mother to use the stones and swap with Dr Rebecca Jenkins...he wants her to meet Ginn" Everett was calm and didn't really care how Nick took the news.

"Dr Jenkins..."Rush thought for a moment, "Oh, she's the wiz with electronics of all sorts, very nice lady too..." Nick was very genuine in his comment.

"How is everything going with the ship?" Young asked as a general inquiry.

Amanda answered "We are just running some calibration test on the FTL drive that the Ursini asked us to do during routine flight...and I'm happy to report that all is well. We should be in range of the next system in two or three days, General."

The door opened and Eli entered the bridge; "Um, General Young...Te'arly would like to see you Sir, she said you can find her in the observation deck"

"Ok, thanks Eli..." he looked at Rush; "I'll be "out" just after we drop out of FTL...try and play nice with Telford _please_ Dr Rush..." although there was still a few "issues" between them, Everett and Nick were trying to start fresh; it was also helping to boost moral on the ship.

"You have my word General" Nick beamed a knowing smile back at him.

Everett left the bridge. A message came on to the CI screen in Kirks chair, where Nick was sitting;

"Please let Eli sit down, Dr Nicolas Rush."

Without warning, Amanda burst into laughter, trying to cover her mouth with her hand. The message was only on Nick's CI and Amanda was at the forward console; Nick looked up at her reaction and without giving it away and said:

"Mandy, could I talk to you outside... Eli, please take over..."

The two of them left the bridge and closed the door; Rush looked at her in a disappointed way:

"Ok, what's going on...did you send that message?"

Mandy peered back at him with a surrendering look "Um...ok I'll tell you...but you can't..." she stopped into silence as two people walked past, Rush said hello politely; Mandy continued "I...I have some type of neuro link with Destiny; I know what _she knows_..."

Rush a bit unsure about what she meant "You mean in her memory banks?"

"Yes, if I want too, but it's more than that...it's more ...personal" she decided to tell him, but only after a slight pause as she asked Destiny for permission through her mind.

"We are connected...it must be a hangover from being inside Destiny for so long. We could all talk to each other at the time however I seemed to have retained that ability back in human form. Neither Franklin nor Ginn have got the same ability; I know: I asked Destiny" Mandy was being very sincere about her new found gift.

Nick sounded excited about this; "So, that was Destiny sending me the message, but you _knew_ she was going to send it...

"Yes, but only as _she sent it_, I can't read her mind, and I wouldn't want too." Amanda had the utmost respect for the gift she now had; it was powerful indeed.

"Hmmm...can you control the ship that way too?" Rush just had to ask.

"I have asked Destiny to block that side of it, in case it was ever used against us; even if I begged her, She wouldn't allow it: safer that way for everyone..." Mandy placed her hand on the side of Nicks face, leaned forward and kissed him. "Enough for now..." she said.

Nick still had a million questions but knew not to push this any further; he also understood not to ask about other people, and had a feeling that Destiny preferred Eli to him. He figured "She" had taken a shine to his brilliant mind, and it would be interesting how he would handle having all her power at his disposal when it was needed; it might just save them all one day. Dr Rush had never heard the conversation Eli had with Everett just before Young went into stasis, although now he would have understood; Eli _is smarter than him _and Destiny knew it.

* * *

><p>In the infirmary, Varro was now working on a plant extract that the Ursini had spoken about to T.J that may help heal Lisa's eyes faster. T.J was testing her twice a week, and each time she was showing improvement. Unfortunately, the nature of her eye injury could not be helped by the healing belts they now had; they worked well for bone and soft tissue damage, even the vascular system; but not eyes. The Ursini medic had also suggested certain plant materials combined may hold the key to helping Tamara's ALS; although that would take some serious research, and they seemed to have all the time in the world now. T.J herself, along with Amanda and Varro had taken up that challenge to help her find a cure.<p>

Varro was really starting to prove that he now belonged as part of the crew. He had put his name down on the list in the mess to stay aboard Destiny. He had more than one reason to stay; The Lucian Alliance would kill him on sight for being a traitor to their cause, but there was also one other very special motivation... Varro and Tamara had recently taken things a little further than everyone knew, especially Everett. They were now involved very discreetly, although two "people" knew about them other than themselves. The human crew had yet to learn that all they did, even in privacy, Destiny knew. She was becoming more curious about human behaviour, and although Destiny was capable of it, would never impede or pass judgment on them...

T.J examined Chloe some hours after she had been rudely awaken by the nightmare.

"You seem fine Chloe, there is nothing here that indicates any neural activity out of the ordinary" T.J looked Chloe over as she spoke; "All the scans have come back normal..."

"But it felt so real, like I was there again" Chloe had never experienced a dream this intense before.

"The human brain is a powerful thing; even in dreams we can truly believe what we feel, pain included. Honestly, even with all the medical information on this ship, we still don't have a lot of knowledge about our own brains." T.J was now looking at Chloe with a smile of hope on her face "Let me know if it happens again...straight away please." She gave Chloe a quick hug to reassure her...

Lt. Scott had gone to see how MSgt Greer was doing; he was in a new found part of the ship that was the Ancient's equivalent of a gym.

"Lieutenant... what sup...?"Greer grunted through another bench press. It had been a few weeks since the incident, and he still hadn't really spoke about it.

"Hey Sergeant...I hear you missed another appointment with Camille Wray..." Matt tried not to sound too formal.

"Um...yeah, you know... shit happens" Greer wasn't too fussed about it, "but I'm ok for duty, if that's what ya gettin at."

"Look...Ron...you made the right call, I would have done the same..." Matt was trying to be supportive.

Ronald pushed up the electronic weight bar and calmly hooked it on the rack, then sat up; and exploded at Matt.

"Fucken what...! You would of what...!" Greer was fuming "What... _You_ would have just shot the man too...?" There was fire in his eyes and wild anger as he spurted out the words "I watched him being crushed into his _fucking helmet; what the fuck was I supposed to do...hey...Lieutenant?"_

Matt recoiled at Ronald's fire; he did the only thing he could think of; he pulled rank.

"That's enough Sergeant...you suck that up _right now_!" Matt yelled back at Greer.

Greer stood up toe to toe with Matt and shoved him; "What are you going to do about it..." he said in a low angry snarl.

Stepping back from Greer's push, Matt knew what to expect next; Ronald started to throw a punch, but Matt anticipated the blow and put his open hand up to stop it.

Catching Greer's fist in his hand hurt like hell, but he didn't flinch "Is this what you want...to take it out on someone Sergeant...!" Matt looked squarely in his eyes "Come on man, this ain't the way...we don't want to start this..." he softened his voice, still holding against Greer's might.

Ronald backed down and withdrew his fist, turning away from him; Matt let his guard drop knowing that he had gotten through. Greer was coming to terms that he needed help: they were good friends and always had each other's back in a fight, but now he had lost control of his anger.

"Look...Sergeant; no one expects you to have all the answers...in our job we make the best decision at the time. You didn't even have that luxury; you just had to act by reflex in the situation, right or wrong..." Matt still looked at Ronald in the eyes as he spoke. "You're right...I have no idea how I would have reacted...I wasn't there. You did what you thought to be the best action; stop his suffering...no one would have been able to save him in time." Lt. Scott was running out of ways to help and knew Ronald needed more than he could give; they sat quietly for a few minutes before Ron spoke.

"I'm sorry I tried to hit you" Ron paused for a moment "You're not just a superior officer...you're... my friend too" Greer had a tear coming out the corner of his eye, realizing he had lost it at the one man who gave him a chance.

Matt gave him a rough manly pat on the shoulder and said "Damn that hurt like a son of a bitch..." shaking his hand.

"Lucky it didn't land on ya face..." a smile returned to Ronald's face before he added somberly; "I'll go see Camille..."

Matt looked hard into his eyes and then smiled "Thanks...Sergeant..."

* * *

><p>During all this, Everett had made his way down to the observation deck and found Te'arly talking with Ginn. Eli trusted Ginn implicitly, as well as being in love with her, and she had co-operated with Earth on revealing what she knew of the Lucian Alliance and their plans, which had turned out to be true. Although Everett wanted Eli and Ginn to be happy together, he was still a bit sceptical about her; being that she was the enemy at one point. One thing he kept in his mind was that many "soldiers" of the Alliance were forced to fight through threats and blackmail.<p>

They were sitting at the new "bar" Dr Brody had constructed (with the help of the Ursini), sipping on a far more refined version of alcohol, that was the equivalent of Vodka; mixed with juice from some of the new fruits grown onboard.

"Hello General..." Te'arly seemed to have had several drinks; she came off a bit like Marilyn Monroe. Ginn giggled at her slightly intoxicated words, with Te'arly following the lead, and laughing; Ginn looked at Everett and said:

"Umm...I think I hear Eli calling... see you later..."Ginn gave another slightly intoxicated giggled again as she left.

"I heard you wanted to see me..."Everett had a genuine smile on his face, looking at a rather drunk Te'arly.

Te'arly looked at him with a straight face; put down her drink, and threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately...

Everett was shocked, but he enjoyed the kiss for a moment then pulled her away carefully unlocking her arms from around his neck. Te'arly wouldn't take no for an answer and said;

"Take me to your room and make love with me..." she snarled like a tiger in the sexist way; Everett struggled to not follow her instruction.

"I think you may have had too many "special" drinks...Te'arly" Everett was trying his best to overcome his own desire for her.

She stumbled forward and fell into his arms, laughing. Te'arly was more than a little intoxicated; she was completely drunk.

"Ok...um..." Everett caught her as she stopped laughing and appeared to pass out.

Like a true gentleman, he picked her up in his arms and carried her off in front of the few people who were in the observation deck. Along the way he bumped into T.J...

"What's wrong with her?" T.J was startled by what she saw.

Everett looking a little flustered replied "No...No...She's fine...just had a little too much to drink; um, a lot I think..."a slight grin appeared on his face.

The medic in T.J came out quickly, "She may not have ever had alcohol before, and I don't know if they do on her planet. You should take her somewhere to keep an eye on her; like the infirmary..."

"I've had a bit of experience with...um...this before, remember?" Everett looked at T.J's eyes as she realized who he was talking about, his ex wife. She had started drinking to cope after his long absences away with the stargate program; and finding out about his indiscretions with T.J. "I'll take her to my quarters while I finish my reports; she can sleep it off there...Lieutenant" it came out more like an order, as Everett walked off.

Things had strained between Everett and Tamara; he had decided to not pursue anything between them, unfortunately for T.J, Everett hadn't yet told her that. Tamara knew there was no hope for the two of them anyway, and had decided to move on; now, secretly she was with Varro and had developed very deep feelings for him. Sooner or later, they would all have to come to terms with this; Destiny was interested how they would all react to each other.

Te'arly slept in Everett's bed pretty much the whole day. She awoke to find him sitting at his desk, watching her and smiling.

Softly he spoke to her, well aware of how she would be feeling "Are you ok?"

"Oh...what happened...why does my head hurt so badly...?" Te'arly placed her hands gently to her head; she had her first hangover.

"It's called a hangover...it's what happens when you have too many of those types of drinks..."he stuck to the simple explanation.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked still holding her head lying in bed.

Everett gave a slight chuckle; "Most of the day...do you want some water?"

"Yeah, that would be good...thanks" she sleepily replied.

Everett got some water and took it to her, helping Te'arly to sit up against the wall cushioning: "Just take it slowly or you might be sick..." No sooner had he said it, Te'arly put her hand on her mouth; Everett quickly helped her to the ancient bathroom when nature took it course...

He stayed with her there for nearly 20 minutes while she was sick. Slowly he gave her some water that finally she could hold down, and carried her back to his bed; after sitting up under the covers she asked:

"Did I say anything to you, I can remember saying something...please tell me the truth" Te'arly was an honest person and expected the same in return.

"Umm...you did, but when people drink to excess, they are known to say all sorts of things that..." Everett was cut off by her finger on his lips;

"Please tell me what I said to you..." she patiently asked again.

"Ok...you kissed me and said "Take me to your room and make love with me" then you sort of fell asleep in my arms...more like fell over unconscious into them." It was an honest answer.

She looked into his eyes and smiled softly saying "I meant it...Everett, but now isn't the time while I feel like this..." she smiled at him and sank back down under the covers;

"I'm staying with you tonight...my love..." she purred through her haze.

Everett was taken aback by Te'arly's straight forwardness of how she felt about him; he too had developed feelings for her. All of the time they had spent together over the last few weeks, even while trying to deny them, he was falling for her in a big way. This was also why he had stayed away from T.J; He had a feeling her and Varro may have had something going on, and although he really didn't like it, T.J was an independent woman and made her own choices. Varro still needed to prove himself a lot more yet, _especially_ if he was to get involved with T.J.

After going back to the bridge for a few hours, satisfied that all was as well, Everett announced that he was retiring for the night and went back to his quarters. He showered, then climbed into bed beside an already naked Te'arly as she immediately pulled him to her and kissed him deeply again; this time Everett didn't break away from her as she rolled on top of him; instead he kissed her passionately and they made love...

* * *

><p>Two more days passed with everyone going about their own thing. Everett and Amanda sat down with Te'arly, explaining about the communication stones; Telford had married his ex-wife, and the last thing Everett wanted was David "meeting" Te'arly in his body; she was an exceptionally passionate woman, who was not afraid of showing her feelings. Te'arly, being very understanding of Everett's position on the ship, enjoyed keeping "their secret" from the crew, but had worked out that Amanda had somehow caught on; and Amanda had her own secrets too.<p>

Chloe was now sitting in Kirks chair after Eli had gone to wake Ginn for his mom's "arrival". She was slowly closing her eyes and drifting off, only to awake several seconds later. Destiny prompted her on the CI;

"Go and sleep Chloe Armstrong, your neural activity is slowing into theta state; you need rest."

Chloe spoke up suddenly, scaring the life out of Franklin and Nick. "I'm fine Destiny, just a little tired, that's all"

The guys looked at her, "You ok Chloe?" asked Rush with concern hearing her speaking directly to the ship.

"I'm ok, just haven't been sleeping too well" she replied

Destiny dropped out of FTL within gate range of several planets. Nick continued to show his concern for Chloe;

"If Destiny is telling to sleep, then maybe you should...she knows more about us than we do about her" Rush was dead right with that comment. "Go on, we'll be fine...get some rest...please"

"Alright, I will..." Chloe snapped back harshly at Nick, although he took no offence to it; she left the bridge.

Sitting back in Kirks chair Nick got on the com to Everett who was still with Te'arly in his quarters.

"Sorry to disturb you General, but we have dropped out of FTL and have several gates in range; with 48 hours on the clock...and _Col. Telford_ will be waiting..."

Everett and Te'arly were lying together in bed holding each other; "Ok Rush, I'll be there shortly..." Destiny was now automatically opening a two way com with anyone who appeared "busy" at the time.

Te'arly kissed him goodbye after he dressed; before he left, Everett told her something as he embraced her;

"I think I'm falling for you..."

He headed toward the communications room, meeting up with Dr Rebecca Jenkins. She was looking forward to being back on Earth, switching with Eli's mom, after Camille had organized it the day before during her own "visit" with the IOA.

Col. Telford and Maryann Wallace "arrived" on Destiny to find Eli and Lt. Scott standing in the room.

"Welcome aboard Destiny, Colonel Telford and Mrs Wallace; passwords please..." asked Scott holding his rifle at chest height.

Telford rattled off the password, but Maryann went blank;

"Um...I can't remember..." Maryann had fear in her voice looking at Scott holding the gun.

David put his hand on hers "It's ok, take your time..."

She started to panic getting all flustered and confused.

"Mom, what did you get me for my tenth birthday...?" asked Eli in a calming voice.

She went to put her hand on his face, but Telford put up his and stopped her; it wouldn't be the first time a touch could allow mind reading.

"It's ok, just answer Eli..." David was trying to help.

Maryann relaxed somewhat and smiled at her boy, "It was a bike, a red one...but you wanted a skateboard and I wouldn't allow it..."

Eli smiled, and threw his arms around her, nodding his head to Telford. They left the communications room after Maryann had looked in the mirror at herself, saying;

"Wow, I feel ten years younger..." and smiled at Dr Jenkins attractive body.

Eli took his mom to the observation deck where Ginn was waiting nervously; she was standing by the rail watching the stars. Eli walked in with Maryann and introduced her to Ginn;

"Ginn, this is Maryann...my mom..."he was nervous and grabbed the rail to help calm himself.

Surprised by how attractive she was, Maryann looked at Ginn who was not sure what to say; she held out her arms and welcomed Ginn like a daughter hugging her tightly.

"Hello Maryann, it's nice to meet you..." Ginn finally found some words.

"It's lovely to meet you too..." she gave Ginn another quick hug and looked out at the breathtaking view before them "I wouldn't know how to describe this to someone...words just aren't enough"

They moved over to a table and sat down after watching the stars in silence for a few moments. Eli spoke first;

"I need to tell you something mom, about Ginn ..."he looked at Ginn as she gave him a reassuring smile "Ginn is as human as you and me...but...she is not from Earth...she is from another star system similar to ours, on the other side of the Milky Way Galaxy."

He gave her a few moments to digest what he just said.

Maryann looked at him with a shocked expression on her face that soon turned into a warm smile;

"You fell in love with a beautiful woman from another world...Eli honey, this is just amazing" she reached over and kissed his cheek "You went to outer space to find the woman you love...I am so proud of both of you; and happy that you found each other." Maryann was genuine.

"I thought you would be freaked out mom...your taking this really well..."Eli sounded sceptical, but relaxed.

"Honey, where are we...we're on a space ship in a different galaxy to our own; you have probably meet other life forms different from us before. My body is on Earth with someone else's...sprit...I guess you say...and you" she turned to Ginn "you are gorgeous...and I can tell how he feels about you" she made sense; it was a strange situation Eli was in.

Maryann had more than three years to come to terms with it having thought of many different situations he may have found himself in, including this one; now she was with him even if it was in another person's body. Eli pulled out a small keno screen and showed his mom a short video of him and High Commander Ra'toli talking and going over galactic calculations she would never understand; he pointed out who was who:

"This is High Commander Ra'toli of the Ursini race; they come from a galaxy far from ours. This is Daniel Jackson of the Asgard race; there are only a few of the Asgard left...we don't exactly know how many but their world has been destroyed. They use to look like us a long time ago..."

Maryann just stared at the small screen "They are real people from another world...wow" she looked at Ginn and remembered "oh, sorry...I didn't mean..."

"It's ok Maryann, I understand; my people have known about other races for centuries, your people have not" she replied and smiled warmly.

They continued on talking about everything; Maryann didn't want to waste a moment while she was here...

Col. Telford got a sit rep from Scott on the way to the gate room, explaining some of the new features they had found onboard Destiny, stopping to check out a few of the new found areas. Greer and Scott had already organized a team for the first planet, all of them were now in the ancient suits that had better armour, and carried a mix of Earth and alien weapons. The gate finally opened for the first time in 3 weeks, and the keno was sent through; just as everything came back stable from the keno, the gate suddenly closed.

"Dr Brody, what is the problem?" demanded Scott.

"It wasn't us, Destiny shut it down...I'm trying to find out why..."

Out of the darkness, a blast hit the shields and shook the ship... "There's your answer Dr Brody; everyone, battle stations now!" Screamed Lt. Scott, as two more blast hit the ship.

Colonel Telford was now running to the bridge, he had to punch in the door code as Destiny had sealed it shut; getting inside, Franklin was at the weapons controls and Rush had the shields at full power.

"They may shake us around Colonel, but they haven't made a dent on the new shields. All systems are fully functional, but they are coming from nowhere and we can't get a lock on them to shoot back."

With that, the shooting stopped. One by one, Destiny's sensors picked them up as they de-cloaked all around her; Blue aliens, twelve in total.

A message came through; Colonel Telford looked at it and said "Ahh no...here we go again..."

"Surrender Destiny"


	8. Chapter 8

Hi to All... I know a few of you were waiting for this one...

On another note, after chapter (episode) 10, I will be in the process of moving house and although I'll still be writing this series, my postings will take a "mid season" break for a few weeks. This also gives me a chance to catch up on some of the other great stories posted here; I am finding out first hand how much time an effort people have to put into writing these.

Cheers, Enjoy!

SGU s03 e08

Standoff pt 2

Everett stood in General O'Neil's office smiling at the pictures on the wall of Jack's fishing adventures;

"How long since you've been fishing, Jack?" asked Everett;

"Too long...why do you ask?" Jack already knew the answer.

"I need some time to think..." Everett's words showed his deep thought.

Smiling to himself Jack replied casually "There's a spare 302 out the back..." having the same thought; he picked up the phone:

"This is O'Neil, hold my calls for the next few hours please...thank you" he stood up with a sly grin on his face saying, "Retirement...would be nice..."

The two men headed to the hanger, with O'Neil talking to the Airman in charge; they climbed aboard the F-302 and fired it up;

"I haven't been in one of these for a while, might be a bit rusty..."Jack had a knowing sarcasm about his statement as they taxied out to the runway.

O'Neil punched in some co-ordinates and started down the runway; then went straight up almost vertical for thousands of feet. Levelling out Jack and Everett marvelled at the high altitude view of Earth; they were only in the air for a few minutes before Jack showed Everett some new tricks of the F-302.

"Thanks to the Asgard, we can now do this..." he punched a code into the computer keypad, and a strange haze came over the F-302; it became cloaked. They continued on to one of the best fishing spots he had found; his own pond.

Everett asked "How are we going to land?"

"Like this..." O'Neil flew low and slow; engaged the vertical landing engine, and park in his driveway leaving the 302 cloaked. It would have looked strange to anyone as the canopy opened and to men appeared to climb out of nowhere 8 or so feet above the ground.

"Cool huh..." said Jack with a restrained smile on his face.

They walked inside his cabin, and got into some more comfortable "fishing" clothes. Grabbing the rods from the porch, they walked to the water and sat down on the old timber seats by the bank.

"There's no fish in my pond, you know that right...?" Jack just smiled at Everett and cast his rod, knowing he needed a friend to talk too.

* * *

><p>Colonel Telford stood watching the alien ships uncloak;<p>

"Colonel, Destiny's shield is still at full power; but if they all open fire at once that may change..." announced Dr Rush.

"How do we talk back, Rush...I want them to know we don't scare easily" Telford was calm as he spoke.

"Just talk to Destiny..._like a person_, she will do the rest; trust me" was his reply.

David looked at Rush with an unconvinced glare, "Talk to the ship?"

"Yes...talk to the ship, _she_ is the smartest one here...Colonel" Rush was starting to get angry at Telford's constant mistrust; but David followed the instruction.

"Destiny, can we beat them in a fight?" he asked.

The CI screen before him answered "Yes, even if they are cloaked; although it is not the recommended course of action I wish to take, Colonel David Telford. Please begin negotiations to a peaceful outcome" Destiny was trying a human tactic.

Telford mulled this over, Rush agreed and told him so; "Ask why they want the ship Colonel"

He looked at Rush and slowly nodded "This is Destiny, why do you want the ship?" _She_ relayed the message.

A few moments passed before the reply; "The ship is not yours to have: surrender now or we _will_ open fire."

"Destiny is not _yours_ either, so why should we?" David's tactics were attempting to confuse the aliens, or just make them angry enough to make a mistake.

The lead ship fired across Destiny's bow. Telford, now believing Rush, just spoke as he would to another person.

"Can we fire back yet?" he asked simply, and watched the message appear on the CI screen.

"The main weapon is armed and locked: if they continue to fire, we will fire back; please continue negotiations Colonel David Telford."

There was one thing Telford didn't understand, why couldn't Destiny just negotiate with them?

Looking at Rush he said "Why can't _she_ just talk to them?"

"Isn't it obvious...Destiny doesn't want them to know _she can_... they are attempting to scan us you know. Try to offer something, information perhaps." Dr Rush was serious about it.

"We will offer you...medical information" still wanting to confuse them, he looked at Rush and shrugged his shoulders with almost a smile on his face; Dr Rush rolled his eyes, he figured Telford could of done better than that.

A message came back "Enough talk; prepare to be boarded"

"Destiny; now would be a good time...disable the main ship without killing anyone onboard" Telford was getting the hang of this, and enjoying it.

She opened fire with one short 30% blast from the main weapon, taking out the lead ships shields completely; then tracked to the next ship "Keep negotiating Colonel David Telford" was her next message.

He was a lot more certain about it this time; "As you can see, we have the power to destroy all of your ships easily, and can defend against an all out attack. If you want to share some information we will; if you keep firing on us we will have no choice but to fire back; make your decision" Telford wasn't bluffing about what he had said.

The bridge door opened, with Eli and Chloe coming in; a very shaky Maryann was now in Eli's quarters with Ginn and Te'arly who were doing their best to keep her calm. Chloe looked at the ships in front of them.

"Destiny disabled one of the ships, but that won't stop them" Chloe said with conviction, already aware of what happened.

"If we offer them something, they will only want more...they want the ship for themselves, I can't really see a way out of this..." Col. Telford was looking for ideas.

Rush was also looking for a peaceful answer "Colonel, this is like a Mexican standoff...you know, "who's going to shoot first" sort of thing. We need to make _them_ back down without killing them or us."

"Where's Clint Eastwood when you need him..."said Eli not helping the situation, but working on the CI; "Whatever you do, we've got 2 hrs and 15 minutes before we can jump, so come up with something..."

The CI beeped and another message came from the alien ship;

"Information on weapons and shields, or we attack"

Colonel Telford looked at Dr Rush, "No way, not that...we might as well just give them the ship."

Chloe spoke "Stand up to them; arm all the weapons in full battle mode...call their bluff..." she looked at Telford with a sly grin on her face.

"Actually Colonel, that maybe the way out; call their bluff...if they could defeat us, they would have boarded us by now..." Eli was certain this tactic would work, so he added "Is that ok with you, Destiny?"

Telford smiled as all of Destiny's weapon systems fully powered up; she presented a firing solution on the CI screens that would take out all 12 alien ships within moments. A 30% blast had permanently disrupted the alien shields; full power would obliterate a ship in one shot.

Colonel Telford looked at the screen, and then to everyone around him for confirmation of the plan; "Destiny, if this fails to bluff them...we may have to use it; believe me, I don't want to start a fight with these beings_ if we don't have too._"

A message appeared on the bottom of the screen "Agreed; please negotiate this with them Colonel David Telford."

"This is Colonel Telford of the Ancient ship Destiny; we do not agree to your terms" and stealing a line from Star Trek said "Do you wish to engage?" Telford was clam and composed as he spoke, ready for whatever happened next.

The longest minute passed; then, one by one the alien ships broke formation and vanished into the cosmos; just like that...they all breathed a sigh of relief...

Eli got back to his quarters to find Ginn and Te'arly hearing about him when he was young; it was a good move by them to keep Maryann's mind off what was happening.

"Is it over; are they gone?" asked Ginn;

"I think we held all the aces...in the end" his reply was low key for what had just happened, but didn't want to scare his mom anymore than she was.

Maryann jumped up and hugged Eli saying "You are so brave honey..." embarrassing him as only a mother can.

Ginn giggled softly with Te'arly at the look on Eli's face. His mom let him go as Ginn stepped up and did the same, except she showed her feelings with a very passionate kiss. Te'arly felt a bit left out not having Everett there for her, until a knock at the door. Te'arly pounced on "Everett" wrapping her body around him and kissing his face before remembering it wasn't him; she jumped back in horror as the realization of what she just did set in. Eli and Ginn just stared opened mouthed, having no idea they were seeing each other.

Holding her hand over her mouth she softly spoke; "I am _so sorry_...I forgot you're not Everett..." Te'arly wanted to just disappear into nowhere after that, as a tear ran down her cheek from her feeling of betrayal.

"You must be Te'arly...and its ok I understand; this can be pretty confusing at first..." Telford was a bit shocked but understood her reaction at what happened. He quickly concluded Everett was obviously sleeping with this woman, when he thought Everett would have been with T.J; as the realization hit him "Woe":

"I hear Dr Amanda Perry has made some progress with the treatment for your people" trying to change the subject to ease her embarrassment.

"Yes..."she replied composing herself "Varro and Tamara have also helped over the last few weeks, and they believe that it won't be too much longer."

Telford now felt a bit strange in front of Te'arly, knowing she had strong feelings for Everett; he excused himself after thanking Eli for his "help" on the bridge and left, radioing Lt. Scott to meet him. Te'arly sat on Eli's bed with her knees under her chin and began to silently cry; Maryann sat and hugged her for comfort whispering softly too her.

"It's ok sweetie, it was an accident...I have trouble keeping up too. It is really strange to be in someone else's body like this; he will understand...he loves you" Maryann wiped the tears from Te'arly's cheeks holding her like a daughter.

"No one was supposed to know about us...it was a secret" she held back more tears.

"Well its safe with us, we won't be telling anyone" Ginn looked at Eli as she spoke, he nodded.

Lt. Scott and MSgt. Greer meet Col. Telford in the mess as David was looking at the "staying" list. He read through the names after reading the warnings put in place about it; the usual suspects had signed up: although there was one name on there that really surprised him...

Looking at Greer; "I see your name is here Sergeant, you don't want to come back to Earth?" hoping he would say yes, knowing it wouldn't happen.

"Nothing left there for me Colonel, just bad memories...this is where I belong now; Sir" Greer used his military attitude to answer.

He looked at Scott asking "Why is this name on here Lt. Scott?" more of an order than a question.

"I don't know Colonel, I'm not sure who put that there; I will investigate it when General Young gets back" Matt had an idea who's writing it was... "Shall we continue the tour of the ship Colonel?"

Knowing they wouldn't give him an answer, he decided to let it go...for now. Scott led the way to one of the new devices they had found toward the centre of the ship in what they believe to be a repair workshop. There was a machine that Dr Perry had looked over, working out that it was a type of advanced 3D printer; as long as the raw minerals and other materials were placed in the "material input" end, the machine would produce virtually any inanimate object layer by layer. Apart from being programmable, it also had a "copy mode" that could scan an item and reproduce it perfectly. They had found out they could now replace ammunition 500 rounds at a time in about 5 minutes; but had to assemble the components themselves, due to the heat involved in the layering process.

They could also build anything from; replacement parts for the ship to cups and sauces, but were limited by the size that would fit in the "printing area" of about 2 cubic meters. Dr Perry had also realised that it drew a lot of power to produce any item, and that would need to be monitored while in use. Colonel Telford was impressed by the first batch of bullets produced by the machine; testing half the batch in the training range, found several decks below the ancient armoury in the belly of the ship. The Ancients had thought of everything when building Destiny; the men continued the tour into more military and civilian areas, including the armoury.

Colonel Telford suddenly stopped, remembering something;

"Why haven't we re-opened the stargate?" looking at Lt. Scott as he asked.

Matt moved to a nearby com on the hull wall and called the bridge; "This is Lt. Scott, can we open the gate yet?"

Eli replied "Um, no...we still don't have control yet; but I'll find out why and get back to you shortly"

Rush looked at Eli "You already know why...because "he" is still here, and I'm not sure if Destiny trust him after what happened with the Alliance."

Eli smiled at Nick as he opened the com "Lt. Scott, there seems to be some technical issues from the sudden shutdown...I need to test the charging capacitors and reset the emergency shut off in the gate room, it could take several hours, over"

"Ok Eli, do what you have to do, as soon as you can; Scott out."

* * *

><p>Now that things had settled down again, Camille brought Lisa to the infirmary while MSgt. Greer was still busy showing Col. Telford around. Varro had been working on several different things over the last few weeks; aside from the antidote for Vanessa, he and T.J had been searching the database for anything that would speed up the process of healing Lisa's eyes. Using the information the Ursini medic had told them, along with several things from the databank, Varro was confident they had formulated something that may work. It was an extract from several of the plant species found in the dome; he used their different natural chemicals compounds to make a solution for an eye rinse.<p>

"Hello Lisa, how are you feeling?" asked Varro;

"Not bad for a blind woman I guess..." Lisa was wondering where T.J was, but had come to trust Varro and felt he was being honest.

T.J walked back in; "Sorry I'm late..." she looked at Camille and Lisa "I have just found out we can make new clothes in the 3D printer they found. One of the scientists worked as a dress maker during college and is organising some patterns to be programmed in..." all three girls smiled; they haven't had much to choose from for quite a while.

"Now Lisa, are you sure about this...we know this stuff is safe, but they haven't put it on anyone's eyes yet. We need to test it on your skin first, just to rule out any allergies." Varro wanted her to make the decision for herself; he handed the small jar to T.J;

"Ok Lisa, I'm putting it on now..." she gently dabbed on a small amount to the back of Lisa's hand.

Lisa gasped as she felt the freezing cold solution touch her skin, but then felt nothing within a fraction of a second.

"You ok Lisa?" asked T.J

"Yeah, I can't feel it...it was really cold for a second but then...nothing" she replied looking in T.J's general direction.

"There is a small anaesthetic mixed in to dull the chill; it has to be applied cold, as it activates once it warms up to body temperature" T.J was proud of what they had created.

After about 20 minutes, with the three women mainly talking about finally having some new clothes to wear, both T.J and Varro carefully inspected the test area.

"Can you feel any tingling or pain Lisa...or any other feeling from the test area?" asked Tamara.

"No it's all fine; I could feel something after about a minute or so, but it just felt like a drop of water on my hand and then disappeared shortly after" Lisa wanted this to work, although she knew any detail was important.

Varro looked at T.J; "That may have been the compound activating at body temperature..."

T.J thought for a moment and then agreed "Possibly was, it would have been the right time frame; but we just don't know how it will react on the eyes, it may be painful."

She looked at Lisa and held her hand to get attention; "This is completely up to you; we have a neutralising solution handy in case something goes wrong, but it will be diluted to only 10% to start with. What we put on your hand was full strength, and you seem to have no reaction to it."

Lisa looked at where she thought T.J's eyes would be:

"Do it... I want to try _something_... I am certain" she said.

Varro and T.J prepared the wash solution as T.J explained what would happen; Lisa tilted her head down following Tamara's instructions. They helped her fit the eye cup allowing her to lean back and rinse one eye at a time. She could feel a slight tingle as she washed each eye for about 2 minutes each; T.J handed her a towel telling not to rub her eyes.

"It tingles a bit but only when it first goes on...I can't feel anything now" Lisa believed it was a good sign.

"Ok...That's a good sign: You'll have to stay here for about half an hour, just in case" said Varro.

Varro put his hand behind T.J's back and gave her a quick rub, smiling at her in hope that it would work.

T.J looked back saying "I hope so too."

Camille watched the interaction and had a feeling...

Matá's relationship with Dr Volker was moving forward. The two of them had formed quite a friendship and were now spending more time together, since he had been back on his feet. Dr Volker was still on "light duties" and had plenty of free time; he was now spending an awful lot of that with Matá. Being a bit homesick, they spent many hours together in the dome that reminded Matá of her own planet. They had talked about everything for a few weeks until Dale had run out of things to say. Matá, sitting beside him on the bench in the dome finally broke the ice.

"Dale, do you have trouble talking to females?" It was a straight forward question to him.

"Um...no, why" Dale was trying to sound convincing.

"Because...you have never asked me how I feel about you, have you?" Matá was very straight forward, but had gentleness to her voice.

"Umm...ok, I'm sorry; how do you feel Matá? He was almost shaking like a school boy asking a girl on a first date.

"I feel that you should ask me to _be _with you...that's how I feel" Matá replied with a sexy smile and knew he was really nervous; she just wanted to enjoy teasing him for a moment.

Dale fell silent and a bit shocked by what she had said...it had been a long time since any girl had shown interest in him.

Not waiting for an answer, she leaned into him and kissed him softly; then passionately on the lips. After she had "made her point", she pulled back from him and said;

"Does that answer your question...Honey?" she was picking up Earth language traits now, although she had no idea what "honey" actually was.

Dale was stunned; he had never had much luck in love, especially after what Greer had told him about always being "just the good friend". This was different; apart for Matá being an incredibly stunning woman, _she liked him_ the way he was.

"Wow...that was ...wow..." Dale had no words to describe that, instead he got lost in her deep blue eyes; nature took over and he kissed her back with just as much passion.

Breaking the kiss but holding her forehead against his Matá smiled and softly said, "Please take me to your room..."

Dale couldn't get up off the seat fast enough, he held her hand and started to move fast; Matá held him back, slowing his pace.

"Let's just enjoy the journey, trust me it will be worth the wait...Dr Volker" she kissed him on the side of the face and whispered in his ear "Your my love now Dale; I'm not leaving for a while and we have lots of time..." She had the most sexy voice and smile as she held his hand and made their way slowly to his room...

* * *

><p>Everett looked at Jack sitting there contemplating what he had just been told; finally Jack decided to ask him a question, after encouraging him to open up about what was on his mind.<p>

"So, is she going to stay...or will you make her go back to her people?"

Everett turned toward the water; "I don't think she will leave" he paused to think and turned back to face O'Neil "And I don't want her too; but...if she chooses too, I won't stop her."

"Hmmm..." Jack took another sip of beer, working through how to explain this higher up the food chain: "I suppose we can say she has some kind of special alien knowledge; that might work..." He stopped dead in his tracks looking up; his expression changing: "Did you hear that?"

"Everett replied looking at the sky, "I do now!"

Dust started to blow up around the two men as the cloaked ship landed just near their own 302.

Jack turned back to his beer and shrugged his shoulders, putting down his fishing line; he knew who it was.

Looking at Everett who was still worried, he smiled and announced; "It appears we have guests..."

Daniel Jackson and Samantha Carter climbed out of the 302 and headed toward them. Everett stood up and shook Daniel's hand, giving Sam a hand shake while pulling her close to plant a small kiss on the cheek.

"It's nice to see you guys again; how have you been?"

Sam answered "Busy, but well thanks...I hear Destiny has been repaired, must have made your lives more comfortable?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid we're still going to be there a while...you would be surprised at how many people now want to stay onboard..." replied Everett, just happy to see them again.

Daniel wanted to know something and got straight to the point "You spent time with the Asgard; I believe he was named after me?"

"Yes, called himself D.J for short...the other Asgard was called O'Neil" Everett had a confused look forming on his face.

Daniel was showing a similar look that was directed at Sam "Um...I have never met...him; or the other Asgard O'Neil for that matter..."

Samantha added to the conversation. "We do know that "a few" splinter groups split up to try and find a cure for their cloning problems, but they were in Asgard science ships. The one we found a few years ago was called Loki; Thor told us he had been caught performing illegal medical experiments before."

Everett didn't understand all the technology like Sam and Daniel. "These guys are in seeding ships that look like a smaller version of Destiny...but they don't have FTL drives; the ships open worm holes instead. One is called "Jackson" which is D.J's ship, the other is "The Samantha" O'Neil's ship...I believe his to be more a scientific vessel"

"But how did they get from where you were to our galaxy to find the Nox, and back again; in that time frame?" Daniel wanted answers, but asked kindly.

"I don't know..." was all Everett could give him.

Sam asked the next one, trying to sound inquisitive rather than interrogating him "Do you believe the Ursini have the same technology as the Asgard?"

"They are smarter than they appear at first glance, we didn't think they possessed more tech than us; I can tell you after spending time with them, the Ursini are a highly skilled and intelligent race. If they had put their heads together with the Asgard, who knows what they may have created..." Everett had come to enjoy the company of High Commander Ra'toli and Asgard D.J.

"Everett, we have to go... your time is nearly up..." reminded Jack.

"It's been good to see you again General Young; I hope we can meet in person again someday..." Daniel wished him luck as he shook Everett's hand again

"Take care Sir..." Sam gave him a quick hug

"I sure could use the two of you on Destiny...maybe we'll catch up sometime through the communication stones..."

Daniel and Sam walked back to their 302 and left. Jack motioned to Everett about his clothes, he smiled and said;

"I almost forgot how to change clothes..." he laughed with Jack and went inside.

* * *

><p>Colonel Telford felt strange for a moment then found himself back at Stargate Command. Everett looked at Scott;<p>

"It's me...how'd things go with Telford?"

"The usual..." He filled him in on what happened and how Telford handled things pretty well; "And Sir; he saw Te'arly's name on the list and questioned me about it..." Matt wanted to ask more; Everett put up his hand;

"I know...thanks for covering for me, I'll fill you in later..." smiling at Scott

General Young called Eli on the bridge "Eli, it's me is the gate working yet?"

Destiny had immediately unlocked the stargate, sensing that Everett was back from his "meeting";

"Just came back up a few minutes ago...I don't think the _she_ trust him yet General" Eli chuckled to himself; he loved the fact Destiny had a "human" personality.

"Ok Lieutenant, get your team ready and we'll try again" with that he walked off to find someone; Ginn found him along the way.

"Excuse me General, could I have a word...in private?" she asked carefully not to be heard;

They moved into a nearby storage area and she told him what had happened with Te'arly, and that she might be upset, or "strange" around him.

"Who else knows about this?" he asked.

"Just Eli, his mom, and me...but it is not our way to gossip; in fact I am very happy for you two" Ginn's smile told him how genuine she was.

"Thanks, I'd like to keep it quiet for a while; and by the way, Eli's mom has to leave in about one hour." Everett thought for a moment then asked "Do you know who put her name on the list?"

Ginn bit her bottom lip, but answered honestly "Te'arly asked Amanda too..."

"How did she know about the list anyway?" curiosity got the better of Everett.

Ginn cringed "Um...we were talking and...I may have mentioned something about it..."

Everett nodded with a smile and thanked Ginn for being honest; she had earned his trust and he could sense her genuine love for Eli. Everett implicitly trusted Eli like his life depended on it; he was yet to learn how true that would become.

Everett continued to his room and opened the door; Te'arly was on the bed sitting, arms crossed.

"What did you say to me before you used the stones?" she asked with a firm voice;

"I...I think I'm falling for you" he replied smiling, without hesitation.

That was enough; she ran up to him and hugged him, holding on tight "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to betray your love" she squeezed him harder.

"It's ok...these things happen; the stones are very confusing at first...all this must be for you"

Te'arly let go and stood in front of him with a sexy smile "My love for you is not confusing..." she dragged him to the bed...not that Everett put up a fight...

Half hour later, Lt. Scott had a crew ready to go through the gate; twelve military personal in full battle gear along with six civilians one of which was Camille Wray. As the stargate opened Dr Brody picked up the transmission from the keno they had sent though earlier. As it had continued to record for a while, he quickly fast forwarded it through before giving the all clear.

"Ok Lieutenant, all looks well...a bit of a rocky clearing with some forest areas about 20 meters from the gate...temp and air are good" Brody didn't see anything wrong with the keno's Intel.

"Ok everyone, take two..." and he led the way through the gate...


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for all of the reviews. This and the following two chapters 10 & 11 all tie together, but I have written them as stand alone stories. Again as the name suggest, a warning to younger readers; Adult Theams, Violance, and Course Language follow within. A very big thankyou again goes to my good friend and military advisor...;)

Please Enjoy...

SGU s03e09

Firefight

Lt. Scott ran for his life toward the rocky outcrop seeking cover; holding his plasma rife behind him firing wildly. He dived over the rock beside a wounded MSgt. Greer who continued to fire at the enemy some 500 meters away; they were making ground through the fire and smoke.

"Lieutenant, if we don't protect the right flank, they'll cut us off from the stargate and will never get back..." yelled Greer above the shooting.

Sarcastically, Scott answered "Yeah...no shit, like I didn't know that..." as he continued to return fire.

Scott dropped back behind the rock as the now familiar beep of 10% charge left in his mag caught his attention. Greer continued to fire the double rifle in short controlled burst to conserve as much charge as possible; laser blast and bullets zipped over their heads and around into the rocks beside them.

"How many you got left?" Scott tiredly asked Ronald.

"4 for the HK, 6 for the blaster" Greer had affectionately name their new ancient rifles "blasters" as the ancient name had no translation to English; "You?"

Scott replied "2 HK, 1 blaster, and 3 for the eagle...I got 6 A-C4's (alien explosive equivalent of C-4 short for Alien C-4), and 1 block of C-4...that's it...how's the leg?" he asked looking at Greer's wounded thigh.

"Hurts like a fucken bitch, but I'll live" the shooting had slowed somewhat with the enemy now looking to advance across the flames and cut their access to the gate.

"We gotta move, even with the wounded" Greer was still firing at anything that moved, while the other men covered their position with indirect fire; Scott looked over at T.J and Lt. James tending to the wounded civilians and military;

"T.J, can we move these people yet; we need to get out of here now!" bellowed Scott

"Camille's badly wounded, we need more time for the treatment to work before she's stable; even then, we'll need to carrier her" T.J looked at Vanessa who had a tear in her eye "She'll be ok, I won't let her die..."

"Lieutenant, we have to move now; if we stay we're all dead. These guys are hysterical, and they won't take prisoners; the gate is about 1200 meters from here, we're nearly there..." Greer knew this would be a tough decision for Lt. Scott.

* * *

><p>Five hours earlier:<p>

As Lt. Scott appeared through the gate, he looked around the area for signs of life. The rest of the team soon followed him through carrying the scientific gear as the gate shut behind them.

"We should have a look around for anyone first, in case we're not alone" cautioned Scott to Greer.

Greer grabbed one of the life scanners they now had and ran a check; "Um, Lieutenant, there is life here but it's about 5 kilometres away; that's not all sir...this place is like Earth, fully populated"

"How do you know that Sergeant, the scanner only covers about a 20 kilometre radius" replied Scott

"Well, in that distance there is over 20,000 humanoid life forms...so I'm guessing there's a lot more" Greer was still surprised by the readings.

Matt looked at Ronald and then turned to one of his men "Corporal, assemble the antenna array so we can scan this place a bit further."

Dr Franklin who had volunteered to join them, unlocked a large briefcase containing an advanced alien scanning device that was soon connected to the portable antenna. They immediately found several satellites in orbit; carefully he connected to their feed, undetected, to get the full picture.

"Oops, I think we better leave...this place has 18 billion inhabitants and we have connected to a possible military spy satellite. There are tonnes of data here about them, but if we hack in I'm certain they will notice" Franklin was a bit nervous about the consequences of hacking into their systems.

"Can you pick up some type of internet link, and...I don't know; Google them?" Matt was serious, as Greer began to laugh with T.J and Camille.

Much to everyone's surprise Franklin said "Actually, I believe I have found a communications satellite that can do just that without causing suspicion" he connected too it and looked up from the screen with a smiling look of disbelief on his face and said "No way!"

Lt. Scott came around and looked at the screen "What?"

"I'm logged onto their internet; is almost identical to ours" quickly, he pulled a small laptop computer from his bag and connected it to the alien scanner.

Franklin typed in the word "search" into the browser bar and hoped for the best. Results came back for search engines, with the alien scanner converting the language as close as it could.

"I believe we have found their equivalent of "Google" lieutenant, what you want to know?" he said with a broad grin on his face.

"Find out about the gate and see who's control it's under; and check if any other beings have been through it...we need to know what our reception would be like" replied Matt.

"Ok...umm...it seems like we're in a restricted area to the general public...there doesn't appear to have been any visitors from out of town like us although...there is lots of speculation." Franklin kept searching as the scanner tried to keep up converting the language.

Scott looked around at the gate "There's no control panel, we have the kenos but they don't seem to have a way to dial out."

Franklin continued "Here we go, they have two moons around the planet and have been to both, but that seems to be the extent of their space travel capabilities, and I'm not detecting any advanced ships in orbit. We are truly aliens to these people, who have a slightly different appearance to us; we would stand out from the crowd badly."

T.J looked at the picture on the screen "It looks like they have a unique bone structure like knuckles across the top of their heads, and their faces appear more drawn out to ours; but basically they have human form and size..."as she read what was coming up.

"L.T, I'm getting a bad feeling about this again;" Greer motioned toward the gate "I think we should leave...like now" but then, watching the scanner on his blaster said "We got company, 200 meters away; everyone cover now!" he used his loudest whisper.

As they all dove for cover, the gear was still in the open; especially the erected antenna, although Franklin had grabbed the laptop, Lt. Scott's keno control, and scanner case before hiding.

Lt. Scott looked at the gear and whispered: "Man, they are going to spot this a mile away."

There was a mix of Tau'ri and Ancient equipment scattered in the small clearing; Franklin was now driving the keno trying to keep it out of sight of the approaching inhabitants. Two of them appeared cautiously out of the tree line with their weapons raised to the ready; they creped over looking at the equipment then poked it with the rifle barrel and jumped back. After seeing nothing happen they moved in and tried to open one of the healing belt cases, but had no idea about scanner locks that only allowed registered user access.

They started speaking in a native tongue that none of them could understand. Using the keypad on the suit Greer pressed the com buttons to see if he could get a translation; after a minute or so he could roughly understand what was being said; he called Scott softly.

"I got a translation, but it ain't real good...there is no way they'll understand us anyway" he paused for a minute as the duo kept looking more intently at the area "Ah crap they're heading toward Camille and Franklin, if they make us, I'm going to take them out...there's no other life signs for 1000 meters"

"Negative Sergeant, do not engage them unless one of us is in danger or we're fired upon, that's an order!" Matt's whispering voice still held harshness to it.

The two men suddenly looked up at the tree line; flaring their nostrils they sniffed the air and with guns pointed, ran straight to Camille's hiding spot. She got up to run but they were too fast and beat her, slapping her down with the rifle butt. They yelled and screamed words that couldn't be translated, as Camille screamed in terror while being dragged by the hair back to the stargate. They forced Camille to get on her knees and put the gun right up behind her head in clear view; then yelled loudly that roughly translated in to;

"Come out...of...die...her we will... 10...9...8..." was Greer's translation

Greer's response was simple; as he switched to his trusty HK416 whispering "Fuck you asshole!"

The first round went clean through the head of the man holding the gun to Camille; killing him before he hit the ground. The next shot was to the chest of the second man, as the team jumped up and ran toward him; all weapons lock on the same spot. Greer got there first and pointed his HK at the defiant local's head that was barely alive; and fired point blank. Lt. Scott ran in, swooped down and collected a distraught Camille cradling her in his arms like a child and headed toward T.J and Lt. James. She was shaking so much that standing was impossible, so they sat down on the ground with both girls holding onto Camille.

"Lt. Scott called out "Franklin, open the gate...were outa here now!" No response.

"Franklin?" Scott spun around to where Franklin had been hiding only to find the scanner case laptop missing; along with him...

He called again "Franklin; answer me!"

Greer was the one who got the answer with a bullet to his chest, although it deflected off the suit not causing any damage. He immediately fired multiple burst at the direction of the shot, but hit nothing except trees. Keeping everyone close by they formed a circle in cover several meters from the gate; lucky for them the antenna array used a wireless transmitter that could be picked up close to the tower. Lt. James linked the life scanner device to the antenna; she gasped as she showed Lt. Scott what was around them. There were at least 30 red dots, and one green for Franklin; he was now nearly 300 meters away, and had the bag on his back with the spare keno control, plus Lt. Scott's keno screen.

"Damn it, we gota get him back...he's got too much Intel with him and both keno controls" he motioned Greer to him; "Ok, we need to go after him...and they're going to know it. Everyone is to take a civilian with them and protect them with their life. We just killed two of theirs, they will do the same to us, but they'll try to get what they can out of Franklin before that; we are the enemy too them, don't forget it." He looked straight at Vanessa "Greer will take Camille..." Matt put up his hand to stop Lt. James talking "You know _why_". Matt had worked out why Vanessa had got to the room so quickly when Chloe had her nightmare; she was with Camille.

"Ok, this is now a rescue mission, I want a V type formation; you know the rules, take out any target in our way; move out!" ordered Lt. Scott...

* * *

><p>General Young watched the timer tick down; Scott's team was now fifteen minutes overdue for a check in. Another twenty minutes passed with no response; Everett stood in the gate room looking at the idle stargate, finally saying:<p>

"Dr Brody, dial the gate..." as he turned to face Brody.

The gate spun around dialling the glyphs until the last chevron locked; a wormhole started to form but then Destiny's gate shut down again without warning. Adam, looking at the CI in the gate room for a moment, lifted his head to look at Everett;

"It wasn't Destiny this time; there is a fault with the gate on the planet, I'm checking it now...they can dial out, but we can't dial in. Something may have malfunctioned when it was suddenly closed the first time; it needs to be fixed on the planet."

Everett shook his head, fearing the worst; it wasn't like Matt or Ronald to miss a check in, and his own gut feeling was telling him bad news. He took off to the bridge looking for a solution, finding Nick, Eli, and Chloe already working on the problem.

Nick looked at Everett with a grim expression "We can't fix it from here, something has happened to the locating system in the gate; Destiny can see it, but not dial. I wish we had better news General."

Before Everett could respond, Chloe spoke up "Why don't we just fly to the planet?"

Rush looked at her rolling his eyes "Chloe, the clock is active we can't use the FTL..."

"We can now!" she smiled and jumped Destiny into FTL.

Eli and Nick were gobsmacked at what Chloe had managed to do; she had negotiated with Destiny to allow her use of the FTL drive while the countdown clock was still active. Her argument was simple; all of the gates were within reach of each other, and they still had time on the clock for this one. Chloe had calculated that the time to reach the planet would be within the 8 hour limit; Destiny was learning what humans were prepared to do for love.

General Young stood behind Kirks chair watching Chloe fly Destiny toward the planet; backing her up was Dr Rush and Eli, with Dr Brody having arrived to take a seat at the main gun CI controls. Destiny had given Chloe full manual control over the ship as the boys shut down several key systems to give her more speed. Thanks to collective math skills of everyone there, they had overrode the engine safety cut-offs and re-routed masses of cooling water to the engines; keeping down the searing temperatures they were creating. Between the four of them they had managed to do the near impossible with Destiny; increase the maximum FTL speed by 30%.

They had been on the move for 30 minutes now, and hadn't heard from the away party in nearly two hours. The speed they were at wasn't without consequences either; the shields were at 80% at the forward side of the vessel, and only 15% on the rest. Power consumption was enormously draining to the ship, and all gate power had been redirected to the engines, not that the gate could open in FTL, but if the team tried, there was no power for Destiny to pick up the signal to stop. The main issue was the time it would take to cool off the FTL drive after, at least 20 to 30 hours could be needed.

"We should be at shuttle range in about 3 and half hours General..." announced Dr Rush

"Ok, I'll take it down myself with a fully armed crew. We may need Destiny's main guns for support on the ground, so I'll be relying on you to fire without question; can you do that Dr Brody?" It wasn't an easy thing for a civilian to do, without military training; Brody knew when he fired that whatever was on the other end would be vaporised. He nodded his head firmly;

"Yes General"

Chloe had a steely determination in her eyes that would have burned holes through someone if she looked directly at them; her love was in danger and that was all the motivation she needed. General Young walked around beside her and rested his hand on her shoulder;

"He's a smart soldier Chloe, if I know Matt, he'll be doing everything he can to save the day..." trying to reassure her.

"That's what I'm afraid of General...I have already lost my farther, I am not loosing Matt too..."

Eli was talking to Nick about the power drain calculations; he and Ginn had said goodbye to his mom only an hour or so before, and had then got back to dealing with life aboard Destiny.

"We'll be down to about 40% at this rate and will need to recharge shortly after..." Eli was talking as he worked with Destiny on the calculations.

"Eli, we crossed between galaxies on that much power...we could still fly to the next system with ease on 40% I don't see what the problem is" Rush had a point.

"It's all the other stuff that's going on, you know...the rest of the ship to run and all that..." Eli was getting angry at Rush

"Hey...what's really wrong... something is eating you up Eli, what is it?"

"Nothing's wrong; just get me the calculations I want!" Everett turned to Eli now hearing the distress in his voice.

"Eli, a word outside _now_" Everett was calm in his tone.

Eli stormed outside the bridge; "Yes General I'm a bit busy right now?"

"What's wrong son?" he grabbed Eli by the shoulders "This is me...now tell me, what's going on...is it your mom?"

"No...It's not..." he looked at Everett and twisted on the spot; "Its Ginn..." he stopped dead

"What about her, I though you too were fine?" Everett surprised look got Eli's attention.

"She's...um...we're...um...pregnant" Eli finally got the word out for the first time.

Everett looked a bit stunned and then asked "Are you sure?"

"Yeah...it turned out when they remade her body...well she didn't have the birth control part replaced...you know what I mean" he shrugged.

"Um...ok, I get what's happened; so you're going to be a dad then I guess?" Everett smiled remembering the feeling.

Eli shrugged his shoulders not knowing really what to say; "I guess so..."

"You only just found out didn't you...when?"

"Just after mom left...I knew something was going on with Ginn, she threw up on me a couple of times in the morning over the past week. She spoke to Amanda who did a test and found out...but General:" he paused trying to put the right words together "You and Te'arly need to see Amanda too..."

"Why is that?" Everett asked confused

"Look, now's not the time...just go see her _together _when you can" Eli was adamant about it.

* * *

><p>"Lt. Scott, will they come for us?" asked one of the scientists as they crept through the forest.<p>

"We haven't contacted them in nearly three hours, and I haven't heard the gate open; there're already on the way, you can count on it" replied Scott.

He held up his hand as everyone dropped low in cover. Watching the life scanner he could now see the majority of the people were inside some kind of complex, with Franklin; he contacted Greer on a secure channel.

"Looks like they have him hauled up in the building about 300 meters from us; most of the locals are perched in the perimeter area, the others are still out looking for us in the wrong place"

"How many we gota get past Lieutenant...?" Greer was as silent as he could be.

"About 20 men I'd say" Matt watched the screen counting

"That's not going to be a fair fight, there is only 12 of us, will kick their asses..." Greer could hear Scott's chuckle through the com.

"I'll take six, with 3 for grazing fire at our exit point; you keep T.J and James here to look after these guys. How much ammo you got?"

Greer didn't have to check "full house man, except for what I used back there, 95% in the blaster; want any A-C4's I got 10"

"Na, I got about the same on me; set up a perimeter for cover fire with the blasters to stop being overrun." Scott knew the capabilities of the blasters would work almost like artillery if needed.

Lt. Scott took his men and led the way undercover to the clearing around the building; they would have to move across 100 meters of clear ground, with guards on high alert. The new weapons they carried gave them one huge advantage; they pistols had a silent mode. It could fire a reduced charge up to 300 meters kill range silently, unlike the "whoosh" noise the rifles made; it was about to come in really handy. Matt had the overwatch crew take out the guard in the tower first; then open suppressive cover fire. One by one Scott's six man crew closed in and took out their targets quietly in the mayhem that followed.

Matt's first team of three crossed the open clearing and hid behind a stepped wall. One of the overwatch snipers took out a power device at the back of the building, as the lights inside flickered out. Fitting their night vision filters at the ready, Matt attached an A-C4 device to the wall a few meters from the door. Aware of the concussive blast radius he rechecked the scanner for Franklin's exact position; he was at least two sub level floors down on the other side of the building. The men got into a safe position as Scott readied the control.

They switched to HK rifles with Matt directing single man entry to the right and left of the hole; he blew the wall and they entered. The next three of Scott's men camped just out of sight, as they no longer had surprise, and waited for the other local men of the group to return. Lt. Scott and his two men watched the scanner and took out another man hiding around the corner; quickly switching to his pistol, the concrete walls were no match as the plasma ball cut straight through. Two stories underground Franklin was in a cell, but rather than take the stairs the boys had a better plan.

"We'll spray foam through the floor..." Matt took out a can from his pack and drew an explosive foam circle on the floor, and added a detonator.

The blast cut a hole in the floor to the next level, knowing the stairs would be booby trapped somehow, and he was right; one of the retreating men misjudged the wire and triggered his own trap, blowing himself apart. The scanner now showed only three men left around Franklin whose life signs were fading; the three men cut through the floor the same way to Franklin's level. Jumping down, they quickly moved near the door; as Lt. Scott flicked the handle to open it, a laser bolt came through and cut through the control panel on his suit and into his forearm like a bullet graze.

"Awe...shit", as he looked at the sparking control link "I got no com, damn it" looking at the other two guys.

"Lieutenant...let's go through..." the corporal pointed to the wall.

Scott looked at the wall grabbing the spray pack of foam explosive out of his backpack; He sprayed a large enough circle for a man to walk through, and placed a detonator on it. He move away signalling the guys to get down; arming the switch he blew the explosive cutting a perfect hole in the wall, and began firing at the enemy who shot him. Neutralizing the threat, they advanced to the last two men in Franklin's cell.

Lt. Scott kicked open the door pointing his weapon at the screaming local holding a gun on Franklin; at this point, Matt did not care and just killed him, with the corporal taking out the other yelling local enemy at the same time. He moved to Franklin who was drowsy from blood loss and slumped in the metal seat; noticing wires attached, Matt slashed them in half with his combat knife. They cut Franklin free and laid him on the nearby table; Matt rolled him over on his side to find a deep stab wound that may have punctured his liver. He used a special jelly like pad the Ursini had given them; placing it over the wound, and pushing it in as he had been shown. Matt then wrapped the healing belt he was carrying around Franklin covering the pad.

"Now, watch this Corporal..." as he turned on the healing band, Franklin's eyes began to flutter open as the pad started to convert itself quickly to blood plasma giving him a life saving transfusion; the speed and ability of this device was amazing "Ursini battle field technology...just awesome...how you feeling Franklin?"

He replied truthfully, but drowsily "Like shit...get me outa here please..."

Chloe was watching the distance to the planet reduce on the CI console as they edged closer every second. Destiny would be there in about 30 minutes and so far, all was going well with the FTL drive still at maximum.

General Young sat behind her wondering about what Eli had said for a few moments before he was called on the com by Staff Sergeant John Davies "The shuttle is ready General"

"Ok, thanks Sergeant; have your men ready to go in 25 minutes, Young out"

Back on the planet Scott's men had managed to get Dr Franklin up to the ground floor and found the equipment; but faced a growing number of enemies coming from nowhere down the hills. Scott looked around at the terrain; apart from the clear area outside the building, the rest was heavily forested and reasonably dry. The enemy was headed toward the plateau in an attempt to advance on the team and cut them off from the gate; Matt got an idea as he looked at the dry undergrowth, before turning his attention to Franklin:

"Can you move fast, or do we carry you to cover?" asked Scott in a hurry;

"I won't make it on my own..." He wasn't doing too well after having to be moved so soon.

Lt. Scott said to his men, "Give us some cover, use the blasters to start a fire in their direction; Corporal, you're with me..." with that, the two of them picked up Dr Franklin with his arms draped around the back of their necks and ran for cover.

MSgt Greer had seen the advancing troops coning from the hills and had moved everyone to a safe place, but couldn't see Lt. Scott coming, except on the screen; it was then that he saw one of the green "friendly" dots fade out. Greer's weapon vibrated through the handle getting his attention; he look at the movement sensor;

"Oh...shit; guys, get undercover we got company" he looked straight at Tamara and Vanessa "Prepare to defend everyone" he got the civilians attention; "let the three of us handle it" just as he said that a laser bolt cut across his thigh, clean through the ancient armour.

* * *

><p>Instinctively, Greer turned and returned fire taking out the target quickly then felt the searing pain in his leg. He looked down to find the only bonus was that it had cauterized the wound and stopped the bleeding; it had done some damage, but not enough to slow him down.<p>

Looking at T.J Greer said "Lieutenant, we need to get to that rock area 200 meters north east of here" looking back at the scanner, "like right now...!"

Quickly the gathered everyone as Greer directed them which way to go; Tamara took point with Sergeant Greer taking rear guard. Again they came under fire after moving about 150 meters. This time it was Lt. James and Greer who knocked out the targets, all four of them.

"Ok T.J lets go..." Greer knew the safest place was somewhere he could defend until Matt got back with the other men; he could tell by the several fires now burning they were defiantly on their way.

Camille looked at T.J with a stunned expression, holding her belly "Tamara..." then she collapsed; with T.J catching her as she fell.

"Sergeant, Camille's been hit!" yelled T.J through the com;

Greer raced toward them and lent down to Camille looking at the belly wound "Not here" he placed Camille's hand firmly over the wound "hold tight, I'll carry you" Greer picked up Camille and made a break for the rock area 50 meters away, they all followed soon after.

T.J applied the same plasma pad to Camille's wound and wrapped the healing belt around her, activating it. She looked over at Greer's leg wound "Sergeant, I've got some pain meds there if you like."

"No thanks Ma'am, pain tells me I'm still alive..." Master Sergeant Ronald Greer was one tough barstard; he changed his blaster mag, noticing a beeping noise when it had reached the 10% mark.

"Lieutenant, give me your blaster please; I'm going to need it..." asked Greer

Placing his HK416 beside him, leaning against the rock, Greer connected the two blasters together and then checked the scanner to see Scott's position. Another green dot was missing from the screen "damn it" he said to himself, but they were working their way toward his position.

Scott was still carrying Franklin with help, but had seen the scanner showing at least 45 enemies between him and Greer's position. They had come under heavy fire and were starting to run out of ammo. Two of his men had switched back to their HK's, having used up most of the blaster clips; and he had two men down in the field.

"Ok...we can't get through these guys, so I'll draw as many as I can off and you get Franklin to Greer's position...Corporal, is your scanner still working?" asked Lt. Scott

"Yes Sir...all good" he replied.

"If all else fails, meet back at the gate ok?" Scott reloaded the blaster; he had 4 clips left.

They took Franklin and the equipment, leaving Scott with his own keno to split them up. A short time after they had left, Matt carefully made his way to flank the oncoming enemies and draw them away from his men. Getting in close enough, he deliberately open fire killing at least three more locals; then retreated as they ran after him sooting. He knew he would have to lose them, but Scott didn't want to go too far away from the stargate. About 15 minutes later, Greer got a call on his com from the advancing men.

"Sergeant; where near your position to the west, hold your fire..."

"Copy that Corporal...but come up nice and slow, you got locals to your north" Greer was watching the screen as he spoke "Is Lt. Scott with you?"

"No Sir, he drew their fire for us" he said as they made it to Greer's position.

It confirmed what Greer had thought; the lonely green dot working its way around the long way on the screen, about 800 meters away was Scott. MSgt Greer and two other men started to give Lt. Scott some indirect fire on his approaching enemy

Scott found a large rock to hide behind; he was bleeding from a bullet graze to his ear and had taken over 20 bullets to his chest and back. The ancient armour had done its job and kept him alive but it was failing; the last hit had got through and been stopped by his own Kevlar armour chest plate, knocking the wind out of him for a moment.

"Fuck this..." he said out loud switching the weapon to full auto, and checking the mag "80%, let's see what these can do" and with that he jumped up and fired:

At 2000 rounds per minute, Matt continuously fired in an arc across the forest, mowing down everything, including a few of the enemy, in his firing path. Trees fell, rocks blew apart and the shooting, aside from his, stopped as the enemy dived for cover from the mad alien starting fires everywhere. His weapon beeped; soon it was just a constant noise as he emptied the mag completely, he ditched it and slammed in a fresh one taking off toward Greer's position. He kept firing wildly behind him as he ran; it wasn't long before bullets started ripping past him again. He came over a rise and spotted Greer, who immediately began firing past Scott at the oncoming enemy;

It had been 5 hours since they came through the gate.

* * *

><p>Chloe dropped Destiny out of FTL and immediately opened the com to the shuttle "Go General". She manoeuvred the ship in a close orbit that was completely visible to the technology of the planet, and anyone looking up to the night sky; Chloe wanted them to feel the fear that she was.<p>

"Chloe, um we're a little close in aren't we?" asked Eli innocently, Chloe turned; Eli, seeing the look in her eyes "Ok...um this is good, here will do..." he swallowed hard looking at Rush.

"I believe she is trying to put the "wind" up them Eli..." he moved closer to Eli and whispered "Eli some advice for you; don't question an angry woman..." Dr Rush patted him on the shoulder and winked at him.

General Young opened the shuttle com "Scott this is Destiny, do you read"

Matt looked at Ronald showing him the burnt out control on his arm; "Destiny this is Sergeant Greer; man are we glad to hear you guys...we're in a fire fight General...and have wounded, help would be good"

"I'm on my way, is Scott with you?" was the reply from the shuttle

Scott leaned into Greer's shoulder "I'm here General, but my suit com is busted...talk to Greer."

Another round of bullets headed toward there way, flying over them with the group ducking for cover and firing back; Young circled around locating the weapons fire and opened up on the ground forces chasing them, and took out the ones the team missed. Greer radioed the shuttle;

"While you're at it General, get Destiny to take out their compound about 2 clicks south west of here; that should piss them off."

Everett had an open relay com to Destiny, as Chloe brought the ship just outside the atmosphere; she was so close they could make out Destiny's huge shape in the sky. It would have been enough on its own to strike fear in any race.

"Where locked on Chloe..."Dr Brody had a firing solution ready

Chloe gave an almost evil smile..."Fire!"

General Young landed the shuttle near the team; the men inside scurried out taking defensive positions as they got the wounded inside. Greer refused to leave when the shuttle was full, and stayed with the fresh soldiers along with Lt. Scott to wait for the next round. They heard the unmistakable sounds of fighter planes heading their way as the shuttle lifted off. General Young piloted up through the clouds; although the fighters followed, they didn't open fire. The shuttle exited the atmosphere and was soon docked back on Destiny.

A flurry of activity ensued as the wounded were taken to the infirmary; Camille and Franklin were the worst cases, but the equipment and training given by the Ursini had saved both of them. Most of the others had some minor injuries and a few bullet grazes. Varro and Amanda helped T.J to get things under control as Chloe came down looking for Matt.

"Chloe, Scott and Greer are waiting for the next ride...he's ok...oh Chloe; thanks for getting here so fast" Amanda had told T.J what they had done to get there.

The shuttle landed under a hail of gun fire; Young only dialled back the shield around the door for the men to get in. Again they had been followed by fighter planes, but not fired upon; everybody got on board with Greer still firing as he entered until the door shut, then said.

"Let's get the fuck outa here General..."


	10. Chapter 10

To all my readers...This will be the last chapter for a few weeks, but not the end... This story will take some time to unfold and have reprocussions in the following chapter 11 (already written), but there are answers coming to some previous "anomalies" some of you may have picked up, in coming epps.

Please Enjoy,

I will try to post a new chapter soon...

SGU s03 e10

Apology

Destiny was still in the orbit of the planet, but the violence had passed a few hours ago. Although injured, Franklin had told Dr Rush and Eli that it was possible to hack the planets version of the internet, but they would need a better computer to translate due to the complexity of the language. Eli smiled as he knew just the computer he needed; Destiny. They would have to stay for a while to let the FTL drive cool down; Rush and Chloe had calculated about 22 hours until they could resume FTL flight again, and had moved out of orbit with sub light engines. There were some minor repairs required to the FTL drive, which Nick and Dr Jenkins were now attending too.

General Young sat with Lt. Scott and MSgt. Greer in the infirmary, while Amanda worked on Greer's thigh.

"I'm going to have to explain this back home; I know you did what was required once Camille and Franklin were taken...but we did get into a fight with an alien race, and that may have consequences later on." The General was right; they had no real idea about this race, and had taken out more than 50 inhabitants, and completely destroyed their head quarters.

The com got Everett's attention "General, its Eli...Adam helped me hack into the planets communications, and the ship's translator is working well."

"Good work guys...what's on the evening news?" asked Everett

"Um...really cool pictures of Destiny from the planet...she looks awesome" replied Eli with a happy smile admiring the pictures.

"That's not quite what I meant Eli..."Everett shook his head as Greer's leg hurt from laughing so much.

"Ok...sorry...looks like we're front page news all around the planet; Chloe must have spooked them a bit parking so close. Um hang on, there is a report about where the stargate is...General according to this, the area we were in is controlled by some kind of...cult...like extremists that hate aliens or something" Eli was reading as Adam was pulling up various news paper articles and video.

"Anything about our two men in the field...?" Scott and Greer's laughter disappeared abruptly as Everett asked.

"Hang on...yes General..." Adam looked at Eli shaking his head; Eli wasn't sure if the translation was correct. "Um...General Young, this is going to sound strange; I think they are apologising and asking us to collect them..."

* * *

><p>Everett arrived at the bridge followed by Dr Rush, several minutes later who had been listening in on the com, and looked at Dr Brody's laptop screen;<p>

"Are you sure this is correct?" he asked;

"Yes Sir...it is on the front page of nearly every news paper and news site we have been too. They are apologising to us saying that the people who attacked are criminals from some kind of cult. That might explain why the fighters didn't fire at the shuttle...and they were military fighter aircraft." Dr Brody was now certain of the translation.

"Can you find out more about their military, like hack the satellite or something?" Everett wanted to be sure before he made a move; although the locals they came across weren't military standard, they did have some type of training.

"I'm on it General..."said Dr Rush as he helped Eli crack the codes.

Ginn, who had come to the bridge after Chloe had left, spoke up "General Young, we're getting a transmission from the planet...I'm converting it now"

The crackly message came through in converted language "President Bisha I am; no harm we mean...sorry we are" Ginn tried to fine tune Destiny's language converter; "I President Bisha...we sorry for attack, we mean no harm to you."

"Ginn, can we send one back?" Everett wanted to negotiate the return of his fallen men.

"Yes Sir, I believe Destiny can now convert both ways" she smiled proud of cleaning a difficult translation; "When you're ready General:"

He looked at Ginn as she nodded to start: "I am General Everett Young of the Ancient ship Destiny; we wish to negotiate the collection of our two fallen men. We are not here to harm you or your planet; we are explorers from another galaxy and only defended ourselves against those attacking us" he looked at Rush for conformation, who gave him a nod.

A message came back "We have your dead, respect be their treating. You welcome here come collecting them. We condone those attacked you, criminal men they are."

"Ok...Dr Rush, how's it going on the satellite, got through yet...I want to know what they're planning before we go anywhere" said Everett, suspicious of every word.

Eli yelled "I got it! Where on Sir" again Rush felt left out with Eli's calculations cracking the code first.

They all listen to the chatter on all the military channels; to everyone's surprise there was no evil scheming going on, there was the usual precautions anyone would have, but all the chatter was positive to finally meet real aliens form space.

Everett called a meeting with everyone in the bridge "Ok people...this is the way I see it; this is first contact and from the sounds of it they have no idea about the stargate, or any other races out there. Both Scott and Greer aren't in the best shape so I will have to go myself; this means should anything go wrong, Rush and Eli will be in-charge...indefinitely if necessary...any thoughts?"

"Maybe we should send a woman too, less threatening" suggested Ginn.

"They would have rapped Camille from all accounts; that's what started this whole thing in the first place" said Eli knowing Ginn was sort of volunteering.

"The only women going to the planet will be in uniform...where there to collect our men" said Everett.

"Why don't you offer to bring a couple of them onboard, after we bring them home?" asked Ginn

Eli answered "A reporter or scientist maybe, someone who wouldn't be a threat. They have been to both of their moons, so someone from...their version of NASA" he immediately turned to the laptop and found the agency responsible; and searched for a candidate.

"It's a good idea General, although we won't actually know who they are...but we could ask for a name and look it up on the laptop; they don't know we've hacked the internet" Rush made sense.

"Yeah, but why bring them on board...what does that achieve?"Asked Dr Brody

"Would you rather they meet the blue aliens first; or us?" Dr Rush replied sarcastically.

Cutting in Eli had found someone "How about this person...the name translates to...um, Professor Krystal Neb?" Eli did some more reading "She was the overall project officer in both moon landings, expert in computers, math, and astrophysics; sounds smart."

Brody looked at her picture; apart from the obvious differences, she was an attractive woman "Wow, a girl after my own heart."

"Ok...we'll send a message asking for her and see what happens; we also need a place to meet, somewhere Destiny can cover us from above" as Everett finished, Ginn was already looking.

"It may sound obvious, but how about this field? It is out in the open and Destiny's scanners could easily pick up any threats within 2500 kilometres" Ginn had Destiny assess any possible situations.

"Ok...does anyone wish to say something, or all we all in agreement?" Asked Everett

They all nodded their heads; Everett again looked at Ginn, saying "Open communications"

She pressed the button and gave him a nod:

"This is General Young of Destiny; we agree to meet in the large cleared field 30 kilometres southwest of the city to collect our men first, and also request privacy from the public at this time. Please limit your military forces to no more than 20 individuals and two aircraft, but we will allow small contingents local law enforcement; anymore than this will be perceived as a threat. We cannot translate between languages in person on the ground, but we'll bring devices that are readable." Everett paused for a moment and then continued;

"We will return shortly after this and ask that you bring your scientist called "Professor Krystal Neb" form the space agency; we will offer to bring her aboard our ship as we have much to discuss. At this time your media will be allowed to send a well known reporter, if you wish to record this event; please submit their name to us. Thank you for your understanding."

Ginn closed the link.

"Let's see what they say..." said Eli.

Over the military channels things went wild with communications going all around the world. They tuned in on the one concerning Professor Krystal from the planet, who quickly received a direct line from her president. The more Destiny heard the language, the better the translation was getting; it now sounded normal to the crew. Krystal took the call.

"Hello President Bisha, this is Professor Krystal Neb; it is an honour to talk with you again. How may I assist?"

"Professor Krystal, I suppose you have heard what is happening; we have just received a communication from the alien ship...and they have personally requested for you to meet them. We believe your scientific knowledge is what has intrigued their attention" said the President.

"Wow, they requested me?" she took a deep breath "I would be honoured to assist or world with this President Bisha" Krystal was ecstatic at the prospect of meeting beings from another world.

The President continued "There is one more...um..._delicate_ question I have to ask of you; they are offering to allow you to visit their space ship, we believe it is called Destiny. I understand this is a big surprise, knowing you may need some time to think, but..." she interrupted him

'Yes...yes I will! I cannot tell you what this could mean to our world...we finally know we are not alone in the universe...when do I leave?" She was anxious to meet them:

President Bisha was quick to reply "Right now...there is a fighter waiting to bring you to the meeting point...Oh, and Krystal...best of luck with your mission; I know you will do fine. Good day Professor Neb" he didn't wait for her to hang up.

* * *

><p>Everett looked at the crew on the bridge "I still can't get use to the fact that the aliens are us. It was only about 15 years ago we learnt we weren't alone either."<p>

Dr Rush just smiled and nodded his head; "Remember to be careful about what we introduce this woman too; our own population knows nothing about what the stargates are, and what they have brought to us. We won't be able to hide it forever; all this will come out...one day, the whole human race on Earth will finally know they're not alone."

Eli posed a question; "What happens if we give these people knowledge...I mean we don't really understand anything about their race, values, or how much technology they really have?" Eli was genuinely concerned about the power ancient technology could bring.

Everett looked at the faces of everyone there, coming to terms with the position they now found themselves in; "Maybe we should act as the Asgard did for us; show them the possibilities, but allow them to advance on their own without our interference, until they have proven themselves. I believe that is the best course, as we have already interfered enough."

Dr Rush made comment; "This woman seems smart; we don't have to give them the keys to the universe, maybe just some mathematical understanding...point her in the right direction and they can find it themselves" Rush loved teaching but knew learning was best done the hard way.

Everett answered "That way we can work out how advanced they really are too."

It had been Jack O'Neil from Earth that had proven to the Asgard we were ready to become the "fifth" race, by retaining the ancient knowledge in his own brain until they removed it. The crew of Destiny suddenly found themselves in a similar situation to the Asgard; they were the technically superior beings and whatever was to come of this, it had already changed the lives of this race before them. These people were now where the Tau'ri found themselves as they first activated the stargate: at the beginning.

A new message was coming through "General Young, this is President Bisha; Professor Krystal Neb is on her way and should be here in one and a half hours; shall we make a meeting time?"

Ginn opened a reply and smiled at Everett with a slight nod: "President Bisha, we will arrive in 15 minutes to collect our men; and will return within the hour for Professor Neb...Thank you." Everett made a cut sign across his throat; "Eli, open the com across the ship."

Everett began his address "Attention all military personal; I want a six man team of no lower rank than Corporal ready to go in 5 minutes at the shuttle bay: Young out"

He met them at the shuttle bay a few minutes later, and smiled; Lt. Scott, Lt. Johansen, Lt. James, MSgt Greer, Sgt. Emma Jones, and SSgt. John Davies: Everett made seven. Vanessa handed Everett a parcel wrapped in a cloth; he unwrapped it to find three perfect flags inside.

"One of the scientists helped me make these in the printer, for the three of them..." with that they all stood back and saluted Everett, holding the flags.

He let his stony faced guard down and smiled, saluting them back: "Thank you."

They got in the shuttle with Scott at the controls, undocked and headed to the landing site. The officers arrived to a small group of people, mainly military; with local law enforcement containing the area.

Everett wasn't taking any chances "Sergeant Davies; lower the shields to 2% at the door but keep them steady around the rest, just in case." He looked at Scott and Greer, whose leg still hurt: 'Are you ready..." they nodded.

The door opened and the Terestay people stepped back, as Everett stepped through the reduced shields like pushing through thin plastic wrap. His two men were on stretcher like beds at waist height, wrapped with some type of dark cloth. Lt. Scott, Lt. Johansen, and Sgt. Jones marched down one side; while Lt James, MSgt. Greer, and Gen. Young who carried the flag, marched down the other side; all of them turned toward the body at once: no one spoke, and the small crowd was respectfully silent. Everett started to unfold the flag handing the corner opposite; meticulously they slowly unfolded and passed the flag along the line, then placed it gently over Private Albert's body. In one movement, they receipted the Private's body and slowly marched him into the shuttle; turned around and repeated the action for Corporal Leigh.

There were no goodbyes or talking, just a mark of silent respect for two servicemen who had given their lives protecting their fellow countrymen.

Matt got back behind the shuttle controls and left, headed back toward Destiny; they docked and open the doors, the only noise was that of the soldiers removing the men from the shuttle. The procession team move the men to the same room that Corporal Reynolds was now in; they had now also covered Reynolds with the flag after a short ceremony. Everett sealed the sterile compartment again and vented the air; they would lay these men to rest when they found an appropriate planet, or way home.

"Thanks guys, this never gets any easier" said Everett after the formalities ended.

Everett went back to the bridge along with Matt and Ronald. He ordered Ron back to the infirmary to rest and get treatment on his leg.

Everett noticed the blood stain now apparent on his uniform;

"You're one of the toughest men I've ever had the honour to serve with Sergeant, but that leg of yours needs a rest..."

"Thank you General, it's my honour too Sir..." Greer left for the infirmary.

Arriving there he found someone waiting patiently for him; Lisa was sitting on the bed:

"Ok tough guy, get in bed right now!" she ordered him with a big grin on her face.

"That's not exactly the bed I want to get into with you..." he replied smiling through the pain he was now in.

Ronald lay down on the bed as T.J and Varro came over and removed his paints. Lisa giggled as Ronald made a joke of it;

"You know, someone usually introduces themself before they remove my paints..." Ronald looked at Varro and T.J with a slight grin.

T.J looked at his leg with a much more serious expression, "You shouldn't have left Sergeant; the wound has now ruptured and will require surgery to repair before we can apply the belt."

It had cut a lot deeper than they had originally thought; even with their medical technology it would still take some time to heal. Lisa held his hand as Varro happily poked around the outside of the wound causing him some pain; a bit of payback for Greer's mistrust of him and T.J, but his humanity soon came back as he asked T.J for a strong solution of their new anaesthetic. Varro and T.J had developed it as part of Lisa's eye treatment solution, and had found it to be very versatile for other medical uses.

Lisa's eye treatment had gone well; it had been less than 20 hours, but already she had noticed dramatic improvements. She could now make out objects in front of light, and although still blurry was able to distinguish shapes of people. She stayed with Ron as Varro and T.J worked on him under local anaesthetic, repairing the damage before applying a different type of healing pad under the belt.

"This is a grafting pad, it allows your body to use it as packing temporary until it converts permanently to new tissue; the laceration has nearly reached the bone Sergeant, so I'll be ordering you off duty until I review it in a couple of days...and that is an _order_ Sgt. Greer"

Lisa looked at Ronald almost in the eyes "I'll make sure he stays off it T.J..."

T.J added something "And um...no physical activity for a while...either" there was a slight smile starting to break on her face.

* * *

><p>Everett, Dr Rush, and Dr Brody stepped into the shuttle along with three soldiers including Lt. Scott, who took the controls; he turned to Everett and said;<p>

"Only just a few hours ago these people were trying to kill us; now we're inviting them onboard Destiny...are you sure about this General?" Scott's expression said it all; mistrust.

"Point taken Lieutenant, that's why we have people on Destiny covering us; they won't have any problem backing us up if needed" Everett smiled at Matt and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder "Let's go"

It only took a few minutes to re-enter the atmosphere and fly over the landing sight. Different from the earlier landing, crowds had gathered to witness the event; the first landing had been kept quiet, but this had been announced in the media. From Everett's perspective, that could mean every nut job under the sun may also be there; he would have preferred a _not__so__public_ first contact. After circling over the crowd, Matt brought the shuttle to a gentle landing right on the spot the Terestay people had marked out. Before they opened the door Dr Rush reminded them of the tricky situation they now faced;

"To our knowledge, these people have never seen any type of alien technology...we need to be careful what we say, do, and show them. Dr Brody has equipped the shuttle with a translation program, but there will be a longer delay during conversion...best of luck gentleman" Rush gave a nod to Everett.

"Lieutenant, open the door" Everett stood and walked to the door. This time the shields were dropped to zero; General Everett Young stepped out to a rock stars welcome.

Camera flashes and cheering erupted from the crowd that were being held back by local law enforcement behind make shift barriers. Dr Rush was the next to appear along with two armed soldiers; Nick, who was holding a small tablet, quickly spotted Prof. Neb and headed her way along with Everett. She walked forward to them as a hush came over the crowd; Nick spoke first.

"Hello, I am Dr Nickolas Rush; please speak toward this device to convert our languages." Rush smiled at her.

Professor Neb read the message but hesitated for a moment before answering, unsure what to say;

"It's amazing to meet someone from another world Dr Rush, I...I really don't know what to say" Krystal was so nervous she couldn't stop shaking.

"We were the same when our people found out..." Nick offered out his hand in friendship toward her; again she hesitated, but lifted her hand forward carefully taking hold of his. "It is a pleasure to meet you and your people Professor Neb, we have much to discuss; this is our commander, General Everett Young."

Krystal had settled herself somewhat and put the words together that Everett really wanted to hear; turning to face him directly she said the only thing they could:

"General Young, on behalf of our race I wish to apologise for the treatment your people received when they arrived; those men were criminals, and we had no idea that they would react in that manner." Both Rush and Everett could see the tears well up in her eyes as she spoke; she was genuinely sorry for what had occurred.

Everett looked at her and smiled "We accept your apology, and wish to start over again. As a gesture of our good faith, we request that you come aboard our ship with one of your worlds well known media presenters to record this event."

Although Krystal was still nervous, she was hoping they would make the offer and believed that they were genuine. Quickly she introduced a male reporter called "Deed La'tell" who spoke so fast the tablet had trouble keeping up. Rush took an instant dislike to the reporter who came off like, in his words "a complete tosser". Everett gestured toward the shuttle;

"Are you ready Professor?" Everett smiled at her nervousness "it will only take a few minutes to reach our ship".

Nick reached out his hand to her again; this time she took it quickly as he gently led her to the shuttle. She stopped at the door scared and looked deep into Nick's eyes; he smiled from the heart and nodded sensing how excited and frightened she was. Even without speaking Krystal found something honest inside him, and entered the shuttle. The reporter stepped in next, trying to show no fear, but he was even more scared than Krystal. The two soldiers and Everett got onboard as Matt closed the door and brought up the shields; the translator made life a whole lot easier for everyone now on the shuttle.

Dr Rush explained what would happen before they took off "Ok Professor you are going to hear this in your own language from now on; you will notice a delay from when someone speaks, to you hearing the words."

Krystal and Deed looked on stunned as they understood Rush speaking. "Um, you can call me Krystal if you like, and how did you do that?" the questions had started.

"Well the short story is; the ship picks up your brainwaves and allows the converted words to directly interact with your brain. This interrupts any spoken language frequency signal that you would normally hear with your ears; this way, there is only a slight delay and you actually "hear" the sound in your mind, not your ears. Mind you, your language uses extremely complex algorithms and it took some time for our systems to fully understand it." Rush smiled broadly as she nodded her amazed understanding; Deed was busy taking notes, so Rush explained something further to him.

"Your video camera doesn't have a brain, so all the sound will be in a mix of languages; you might want to narrate what you see for your people" Nick smiled and refrained from calling him a "tosser".

Everett asked Krystal; "Would you like to sit up here?" and motioned to the co-pilots seat next to Lt. Scott "Where about to take off, thought you might like to watch"

She jumped at the chance and sat down looking at the alien CI control panel that Matt was operating. He looked at her and smiled "Ready?" she nodded; Scott lifted off and made a circle around the landing area to give them a view.

"Wow, this is so smooth, not like a plane at all" Krystal was ecstatic as the shuttle headed toward the sky; she sat mesmerized by what was happening looking out the front screen.

"The ships have dampeners that alleviate the normal forces you would feel in an aircraft" said Lt. Scott as they started to enter space.

Destiny was still hidden from their view beside one of the planet's moons; Krystal had another question "We're in space...so why do we not float?"

Matt answered "We have artificial gravity, but if you want I could turn it off..." Everett intervened quickly:

"Lieutenant, please don't...and open a com" he asked

"Destiny this is Young, Eli please move the ship into view."

Matt brought the shuttle to a halt and waited.

Dr Rush added "You might want to get that camera ready..." Deed got up and pointed the camera out the window.

Slowly Destiny's nose appeared and continued coming into view from beside the moon. Too get the full view Matt had stopped about 5 miles off her port side; both of the guests were speechless as Eli brought her full length into the open.

"What do you think...?" Everett was also admiring the ship he now commanded.

Deed finally said something "Astonishing, I have no idea such a thing could be built, but here it is"

Krystal couldn't put words together; she looked back at Nick and said "That's impossible, it can't be real..."

* * *

><p>Nick gave her the explanation; "When we first went to our moon from our home planet "Earth"; it took three days. Twenty seven years later we found and activated the stargate, walking through to our first alien planet in only minutes; that was a little under 19 years ago. It took us three years in stasis to cross from the last galaxy to yours, but we are friends with races that can cross them in a day. Even we have no idea how many alien races there are in the universe; but we meet them in all stages of existence and development, some friendly, some not." He let that sink in as Everett told Matt to take a close outside tour of Destiny for them.<p>

Nick continued "We are only here from our own curiosity and mistakes, no one forced us to this; there are between 200 billion and 400 billion stars in our own galaxy. Only some have planets supporting life; mind you, that's still a lot of inhabited planets. We know the ship is over a million years old, and we are not _her_ original designers; but we do believe that we are their ancestors, as she was launched from our planet." Nick looked at Deed who was speaking his lingo into the camera's mic, narrating what he was saying.

Matt flew over the top of Destiny and then circled around to show them the back view. The crew on the shuttle were equally impressed having never really taken the time to look over the ship; Matt brought the shuttle to a standstill and turned toward the moon.

"Did you go to the moon Professor?" he asked

Krystal peered out at it, having never been so close "No, all I could do was watch the footage"

Lt. Scott fired the engine and took them for a short joyride around the moon in a very low orbit, and soon found the landing site of their mission. Without asking he landed the shuttle next to the remains of their lunar landing craft.

"You can't go out, we didn't bring any suits...but I can open the door for you to see it with your own eyes for a few moments" Matt increased the shields to 90% and opened the door.

Krystal peered out at the barren lunar landscape she had studied for so long; and now beyond her wildest dreams, was only meters from the surface. What could she say to these alien people for giving her so much; thank you just didn't seem enough. Everett motioned to Matt time was getting away.

Matt shut the door and headed to Destiny, docking shortly after; Nick spoke to them both again.

"There are about 80 people on board, including four from other worlds who are the same species as us. The same translator is part of the ship so you won't have any problems talking to any of the crew."

The door opened and they stepped out onto Destiny; Krystal was bewildered at what was happening "Wow...I'm on a real spaceship" as jumped up and down looking at Nick who smiled back at her;

"Artificial gravity is about the same as your planet... within 2 % anyway" Nick gestured to them to follow and took them to the observation deck.

As they looked out over Destiny's tremendously large hull, they were both spellbound by the sight; not the size of the ship or the amount of stars you could see, but by their home planet.

Dr Rush, standing beside Professor Neb, sounded the words that unbeknown to him would eventually change the course of the Terestay race:

"Seeing your home planet from space brings a whole new perspective on one's life; it is the clearest moment of understanding for any intelligent being to have."

After a long moment of reckoning, Krystal finally asked "Who said that?"

Nick answered: "Me...Just now"

Everett returned with Ginn and Amanda, introducing them to their new guests.

"This is Dr Amanda Perry; her expertise is very wide spread in both medical and engineering fields: and this is Ginn, one of our scientific officers. She is from another planetary system in our galaxy, thousands of light-years from our own."

The reporter seemed confused "Excuse me for saying but you look the same as everyone else here, shouldn't you be different?"

Ginn just laughed and smiled, as Professor Neb gave Deed a "look";

"The Human race has been "seeded" across a great number of planets in our galaxy, and we share the same DNA" she explained, and showed both of them Eli's keno control with the same recording Maryanne had seen. "This might be what you were thinking of..." as she played the video of Eli and Ra'toli with Asgard D.J.

"Ohh..." Krystal gasped as she watched; "That's what we sort of have in mind when someone mentions aliens..."

Amanda told them more "The tall one is a race called the Ursini, and the other being is from the Asgard Race. Both of them are highly technologically advanced compared to us, and are peaceful races that have helped us for many years."

The professor in Krystal finally came out "Will you help us advance our own technology?"

Rush looked at Mandy and nodded; he knew half her answer would come from Destiny too:

Amanda looked hard into Krystal's eyes, and responded "We cannot give you the keys to the universe from where you are, but we are allowed to give you some directions. We will download specific data and equations to assist, but how you use it is upon yourselves; we had to earn our place amongst other highly intelligent races, by _becoming__highly__intelligent__ourselves_ first. Above all else, you must show compassion and the understand when to stand up and fight, or stand down and allow events to unfold. The universe is a very beautiful and _dangerous_ place for anyone; your actions in it determine other's perception."

Rush looked at Amanda with a knowing smile...Destiny had spoken.


	11. Chapter 11

I have been rather busy the last few weeks and have fallen behind a bit, but this chapter will conclude the last two. At the moment I am only one chapter ahead of here, with outlines for the next four...I think Destiny and her crew might be in for a rough ride heading toward the end of the series. Will try post e12 in a couple of weeks, thanks to everyone for your awesome comments...it really does keep me inspried.

Cheers

SGU s03 e11

Lesson

Professor Neb and Deed La'tell were given a tour of Destiny's main areas over several hours. Aside from being on the bridge, the area that most impressed them was the ship's life support system inside the dome. The fact that light rain was constantly falling inside a space ship garden was the hardest thing for Krystal to get her head around. Nick and Adam spent time on the CI showing her some of the science behind it, but even to them it was still an amazing scene to behold. While on the bridge Eli had opened a link to Krystal's computer mainframe with her help; they downloaded a lot of data about the universe and mathematical equations, along with information on ancient glyphs. There was enough information to crash the entire system, so Math boy came up with another solution.

Krystal was carrying a data chip similar to a flash drive; Eli and Nick took their guests to the 3D printer and with the help of some inbuilt alien tech, "printed" a newer and larger version with capacity measured in Exabyte's. Eli handed the "full" drive to Krystal saying;

"That will give you some reading to get through...for about a thousand years" in reality, it was but a mere slither of data available to the crew.

It was finally time to leave, with both Krystal and Deed at a loss on how they could thank the crew of Destiny for what had given them. Everett had asked for something simple in return; some fresh food, clothes and basic personal items. Even though they could now make these things onboard, having them given avoided the drain on the ships limited material resources. They entered the shuttle after receiving a message that the supplies Krystal had organized, were ready for when they returned. Matt had one more treat for Professor Neb she wasn't expecting; on the way down he took a detour past the planets other moon and again found the original landing site and set down. The baron surface was littered with a grey coloured dust, small rocks, and craters everywhere; Nick and Matt helped Krystal get into a full suit along with Everett. Matt lowered the shields enough to get through and holding Everett's hand, Professor Krystal Neb stepped out of the shuttle living her childhood dream:

And walked on the moon

* * *

><p>There was now a buzz on Destiny as people came for everywhere to pick out new wardrobes. They now had supplies of meat and other fresh foods that would last for weeks, maybe even months; also, little luxury items like razers, makeup, towels, and even bed sheets. The Terestay people had an excellent sense of fashion and practical clothing virtually identical to Earth. Krystal had also been sure to include some "feminine night wear" clothing for the women onboard; they got snapped up very fast along with new underwear. At long last, the crew were really starting to <em>enjoy<em>_their__journey_.

Everett and Te'arly finally had some time to talk to Amanda; he called Mandy to his room for privacy, as there were things yet to be made general knowledge amongst the crew.

Everett started "Hi Amanda, Eli said you needed to talk to us both?"

Mandy's face gave nothing away to Te'arly; "I have some news for you both" she put her hand on Te'arly's: "Um...Te'arly, you're pregnant" Amanda was staying diplomatic.

"What? I'm pregnant?" Te'arly's face went white with fear, "When?"

Seeing her reaction Mandy's composure changed to doctor "It was in the first sample of blood we took when you arrived some weeks ago." This didn't seem to ease Te'arly's hardened expression;

Te'arly looked at Everett who had a surprised but concerned look forming on his face, saying "So this was before...Everett made love with me?"

"Yes, you're nearly 10 weeks now" it was no longer "Amanda" they were talking to, but Dr Perry.

A tear began to weep from Te'arly's eye; followed by another, and another: until she broke down. "I can't go through this again, not again!" Everett pulled her to his chest and wrapped his strong arms around his distraught beloved, as her warm tears fell silently against his neck.

Everett spoke for her "Will the baby have the genetic defect too?" looking straight at Amanda.

"Unfortunately...yes; there is a 98% probability of it" Amanda went quiet allowing them to absorb the news.

"Amanda, can we do something about it...anything?" asked Everett

Dr Perry's eyes looked slightly up to the left for a moment while she openly communicated with Destiny; finally she replied "There may be a solution, but it will take some time to explore."

Te'arly turned to look at her with hope in her eyes "What? How is it that you can help us?"

Again Amanda went silent for a moment before speaking "We are getting closer to finding the gene responsible for the DNA mutation. When we do, there is a way we may be able to modify some stem cells from the umbilical blood to remove the defective DNA chain mutation. The cells would be replanted back into the cord as "master key cell", taking over and re-writing all the other chains removing any trace of the disorder."

Everett could see what Mandy was leading to "You mean that Te'arly's baby could also hold the key to their people's cure?"

Dr Perry finally smiled "I believe so..."

An hour later, Eli was with Ginn in their new quarters; he had found it in one of the searches and called "dibs". Compared to the other rooms it would have been the master suite, with its own fully equipped bathroom and study area complete with a full CI station. It was some distance away from the normal dorm area but with all the directional elevators working, getting to the bridge only took a few minutes. Ginn was laying on the bed with Eli beside her upside down running his fingers gently over her exposed belly.

"Baby, it's only been a few weeks...you're not really going to feel anything just yet" she cooed.

Eli gently let his fingers slide down further feeling her soft, smooth skin;

"Ohh...baby..." she purred as his fingers continued to slide down over her silky wetness; "Baby...that feels so good..."

Their beautiful moment was suddenly shattered "Eli, this is Dr Rush; please respond..."

"Damn it..." Eli said quietly; feeling the strain against the material of his pants "I'm a little busy right now, can it wait?"

Ginn giggled softly at the sight;

General Young got on the com "No, Eli it can't...bridge now!"

He got up, leant over and kissed Ginn passionately "We'll finish this later, sexy girl..." he raised his voice "Ok, I'm on my way"

At the bridge Nick was sitting in Kirks chair with Everett standing beside him looking at the screen.

"What is it General?" asked Eli arriving through the doorway;

Nick didn't look up from the screen "What data exactly did you give to the Professor?"

Eli looked a bit startled but unconcerned "Um...mainly things like star charts, history, basic stuff on other races, quantum equations, some language conversions...why?"

Dr Rush now looked up at him "Back up a second...history? What history exactly did you give them?"

Now sensing something wrong, Eli was becoming concerned "Um...just a general overview of history that Destiny has collected, and history of the ancie..." the mistake was realised as his voice stopped dead;

Eli shrieked "Oh God no!" he suddenly found himself weak at the knees as it hit him.

Nick's voice became riddled with anger and disdain; "You gave them Ancient knowledge, with a language converter! Eli, how _fucking__stupid_ could you be?"

Everett stepped to Eli's defence "That's enough Rush, he made a mistake! There's no need to tear shreds off him! Ok...so where does this leave us?" he was just as pissed as Rush;

Rush was still angry, but held back "Ok Math-boy...why don't _you_ explain to General Young just what this will mean..."

Eli stood silent trying to take it in; he looked at General Young as a tear rolled down his cheek "I am so sorry General..." was all the words he could manage.

Everett was now more concerned than annoyed, but he could feel Eli's genuine regret of his mistake and stayed calm "Eli...what are the consequences of this?"

Eli wiped the tear from his cheek "You remember when we discussed what information they could have...and Dr Rush talked about not giving them the keys to the universe?"

Everett looked at Rush remembering the conversation "Yeah, what about it?"

Eli looked down at the ground and sighed "Um...we kind of have..."

* * *

><p>Rush looked at Everett "He gave them some of the knowledge of the Ancients from the database, that will easily covert into their language. When they work it out, they'll be able to advance their race by...I don't know...maybe several hundred years in a few months."<p>

Everett mulled this over and looked at Eli "How long will it take them to work out what they have?"

Eli's brain was now over the shock and started to refocus "There is a lot they need to get through first; if they don't unravel the calculations, they won't be able to convert the Ancient language to understand the information until they do. It's taken us a long time to understand just a small amount of it, but look at what that's given our race."

Now Everett just looked concerned "So we have to hope that they don't corrupt themselves in the process?"

Nick had calmed down and began contemplating the outcome "General, they seem like decent people from what we know; but it will only take a freak like Math-boy over here to crack the code, and you can bet there looking for one now."

Eli spoke up again "The one thing that wasn't in there, was our mission; they won't know anything about the order behind the chaos, but it won't take them long to figure out about opening the gate. I mean, maybe a few weeks."

Everett finally smiled "That's how it started for us, why should it be any different for them? Their technology is around the same as Earth, give or take a few years. We can now only hope that they use this the right way; and we have to heed the lesson for next time."

Eli asked Everett a question "General, can we contact Professor Neb again, I'd like to talk with her about it."

Rush answered before him "What's that going to achieve Eli?" Everett would have asked the same question anyway, but added;

"We're not going down to the planet again; we have caused enough interference already..."

"No General, I can call her from here like a long distance call and scramble the signal to keep it private. We're still connected to their communication satellite, and I can video chat with her."

"Ok...but Eli, please don't make things worse for these people _or __us_."

Eli took out his phone and linked the signal through Destiny's language converter system. He dialled the number that the president had used to contact Krystal the first time, which was her direct line.

She answered "Good day, Professor Neb speaking"

"Hello Professor...it's Eli from Destiny...please don't let anyone know who it is...I need to speak with you in private."

She gasped at the sound of his recognisable voice translation, which no one else on the planet would have known "Oh, um...hello...now's not a good time, but if you give me your number...can I..._call_ you back?"

Eli got the hint "Yeah, you'll be able to for about 5 more hours, or send me a message..." and he gave her his number.

"I'll call you soon...thank you, good day" not giving anything away in her now crowded lab crawling with government officials.

One of them asked "Who was that?"

Krystal dismissed the call; "Oh just an old friend I haven't spoken with in a while, I've been getting a lot of that lately..." using a sexy smile to get her way out of more questions.

She knew not to make a move immediately and waited a half hour before heading out for lunch. Unbeknown to Krystal, her phone had been tapped and the scrambled call had alarm bells ringing in secret high places; her every move was now being tracked. Eli's phone received the first text message in a long time.

"I'm alone, call me on this number"

He was still on the bridge, but they had now been joined by Adam and Chloe, who we're quickly briefed on the situation; he called Krystal on video chat.

"Eli, I'm glad you called; something is not right..."

"Yeah, I know, we um...well me actually...may have given you too much information on the drive"

"The data on the drive...yes, I thought so; they already have a team of mathematicians working on it. Some of them are very gifted and have started to understand the calculations behind it; this is happening too fast Eli."

"Krystal, we need to erase some of that; it's not that we don't trust your race, but it is way too much data at this stage. Is the drive linked to any outside line?"

"No, it's in my lab connected to an isolated internal mainframe, you would have to do it from there."

Everett stepped into the picture "Professor, how secure is the room holding this mainframe?"

"There are government men everywhere, and the army is standing guard; I don't know any other way in; they won't even let me near it."

Everett could sense the fear in her voice; Krystal understood why they were so concerned, and she knew the extra data was going to be exploited by some very corrupt people.

Everett asked "Who's in charge there...is it a person or organization?"

"It's a government body called the SSPA; Security Secrets Protection Authority. They override the military and basically have a free run over the planet; the director is nasty piece of work called Dooghan Jay. I had trouble with him during the moon landing project, but the President at the time stepped up and called him off."

"How long ago was that?" asked Everett.

"Five years ago, although Bisha is too weak to stand up to him, and has become more of a puppet for the SSPA."

"What happened to the other president, does he still have any sway?" Everett was forming a plan.

"He retired a year after the moon landings nearly four years ago, and has since become a recluse in the hills near a town called Treyes, 1200 km away."

"What was his name?" asked Eli innocently

"Banbang Neb..." they could hear the pain in Krystal's voice.

"Is he your father...?" Eli was gentle with his words.

Krystal replied with a tear running down her face "Yes..."

* * *

><p>Lt. Scott had come back from a mission to one of the other planets in range of the gate; this time nothing exciting happened, the planet was mainly rock and desert with only a few signs of animal life forms. They had managed to retrieve some more raw elements for the stockpile, and also collected a few plant species for further study. He ventured into the bridge were all the action was unfolding.<p>

Everett had told Krystal to get out of town and start heading to her father's place, but had a bad feeling they would again have to intervene.

Eli said to them "Damn it, if only we had Asgard beaming technology; just beam in, change it and beam out."

"It would make it easier...but alas, we don't; but if you hadn't screwed up in the first place..." replied Nick before Everett again cut in raising his voice.

"This is not helping Rush, we need to deal with the situation; not criticize people for their mistakes!"

Matt assessed the situation "General, if we track her phone and get her location we should be able to cover her from here for now, until we get a team on the ground. We still have the stun guns that we haven't tried out yet" he said smiling.

Brody came up with a simple solution "Why don't we just send a subspace message to the Asgard and ask for them to bring their ship, so we can just beam in and out?"

Everett immediately disagreed sounding angry "What, and have them clean up our mess again?" he settled down composing himself "Dr Brody, it's a good idea...but we created this, and _we _need to fix it...somehow, without causing a war."

Eli broke the uneasy tension "General I have got Krystal's phone signal and I'm using several scanners to create a picture." On the bridge screen appeared a picture similar to night vision from military videos.

They could clearly see the plane the professor was now on heading in the direction of her father's town. Everett knew they could jam any detection signal in the shuttle, but wished he had a cloaking device for it too. Eli's message tone went off again. Opening the message he found it to be a set of global co-ordinates; after uploading them, they found her father's house nestled on the edge of a picturesque wooded valley near a flowing stream.

Lt. Scott noticed the terrain ran from the ocean a few hundred miles away, with empty valleys all the way through "We could come in from the ocean here under darkness and fly under water to the valley."

Eli looked surprised "Fly under water...the shuttle can do that?"

Everett answered "Yeah, same as the Go'uld death gliders; the new versions of the 302's are suppose to as well, but I don't know if anyone has tried it." He turned his attention to Scott "Get an armed team for the shuttle ready; the rest of you, we need a way to disrupt the data transfer without intruding into the room, any suggestions?"

Everyone went silent thinking for a few minutes until Nick spoke up;

"What about Destiny...we know she has neuro links with people, what if we manipulate someone close to the system to erase that data?"

Everett responded "I don't know that _she_ would let us do that, even if it was possible from here..."he didn't bother to ask believing the answer to be _no_ anyway; he was right.

Chloe made a suggestion "What about the stones? Could we use them to get our way in?"

Everett smiled, remembering last time "It didn't work out too well before, besides they would have passwords and other security measures to get past; and of course, there's the language barrier."

Nick looked at Everett "General, I think we have seriously screwed up; if we try by force, we loose...if we try by diplomacy; they'll stall until they understand it. The SSPA obviously control the government and won't let this go easily; I don't know if they understand that we made a mistake, but if we try to interfere now, they will."

Everett looked at everyone's reaction to what Dr Rush said "So we just let them go and watch how it all unfolds...is that what you're saying Dr Rush?"

"In all honesty General; it took earth about fifteen years to get to this level so I suspect with their current history on par with ours, it would take about the same. We need to find out if there are any other "players" who may even the odds against the SSPA." Rush had made a good point.

Eli remembered Krystal and checked on her progress "Krystal has just landed at Treyes airport; she should arrive at her father's in half an hour.

Lt. Scott had the shuttle ready to go and notified Everett on the com; General Young left Chloe and Adam at the bridge and took Eli and Rush with him to the shuttle. They left Destiny and headed to the dark side of the planet, making the shuttle invisible to any technology around them. Matt flew in very low over the ocean and dove underwater when they had contact with any ocean vessels. Eventually they got close to the shore, finishing the journey underwater until they reached the valley. Knowing that they couldn't be seen by technology, Everett had the thought that the odd person or camper may spot them; it was a risk they had to take as they continued through the valley.

Krystal's phone rang; she screened the number and seeing it was from her office, willed herself into tears before answering. "Good day" she said with a sob;

The voice on the other end spoke "Good day Professor Neb, where are you?"

Having had some time to think she kept up the act "I'm on my way to my father's house, I had a call from his carer just before lunch...his condition is worsening quickly so they told me to come immediately" he sobbing voice had a real tone of worry as well.

"Why didn't you tell someone before you left...we could have organised a faster way there for you" that was the last thing she needed.

"I'm nearly there now, so that won't be required, what I do want is privacy for myself and my father!" she made her point angrily

"Ok Professor, how long will you be gone?

"Until I'm back!" she hung the phone up and began to laugh...

* * *

><p>Krystal had rang her father from the airport on a strangers phone; being an attractive woman made things like that very easy around men. Her father had a phone system that was completely untraceable and scrambled any calls made or received; Dooghan knew about this, but he was still suspect of her and had his agents following anyway. The two agents would have to stop some distance from the house as being the ex-president; he still had a massive contingent of his own security with a shoot first policy allowable under Terestay law.<p>

The shuttle came up the valley to find two Earth like helicopters already waiting in the back yard area; there was a large enclosed shed that had the door opened, with three uniformed men who directed the shuttle inside before closing the door behind them. Lt. Scott opened the door as his men ran out, taking up defensive position around the shuttle, with one of them carrying a translating device. A side door opened with a highly decorated Commander walking through; Everett exited the shuttle followed by Eli and Rush, and walked towards him.

"You must be General Everett Young...I am General Aldon Hayes, head of the Terestay World Army"

"It's a pleasure to meet you General Hayes" Everett noticed the five stars on his lapel and saluted the superior officer.

Hayes saluted back and offered his hand; Everett clasped it in his as they looked each other in the eye and smiled.

"You have caused quite a stir on our planet...but I must say it is a welcome one" The General motioned for them to follow.

They walked under a breezeway on the concrete ground; there were lots of gardens and small grassy areas lining each side of the breezeway, along with soldiers from the Terestay army.

Everett asked "Where is Professor Neb?"

Hayes answered "She is in with her father, arriving a few minutes before you" he again led the way into the huge stone brick house, where they entered a sitting room with Krystal and her father.

Hayes announced them "Mr President, this is General Everett Young of the Star Ship Destiny; General Young, this is President Banbang Neb."

Banbang and Krystal walked over to Everett; holding out his hand, Young took it and said "It is an Honour to meet you President Neb." Introducing Eli and Rush he continued; "This is Dr Nickolas Rush and Mr Eli Wallace, our two scientific officers." He wanted to make them sound more "official".

Banbang was surprisingly young, maybe only ten years older than himself, in his fifties perhaps though Everett. His head was completely shaved allowing the prominent bony ridges to really stand out through his white skin. He appeared to be in good physical shape, being about six foot high with broad shoulders and solid build.

"Believe me General Young the honour is all mine, would any of you care for some refreshments?"

Everett spoke for all of them "No...Thank-you"

Banbang got straight too it "Now down to business; Krystal tells me that you have concerns over the SSPA having the data that you have generously given us, is this correct?"

"Yes...but there is more to it than that" answered Nick

"Oh...how so Dr Rush?" Asked the President

He looked at Eli "You want to explain?"

Eli looked at the President, who smiled at his youth "Um...Mr President, I have accidently given you some extra data that...um..." Eli searched for the words "That I wasn't supposed too."

"Oh, I see young man...it sounds like you are asking for some help to retrieve it?" Banbang had a huge grin on his face realising that Eli had been made accountable for his mistake; respecting him for the courage to face up to it.

General Hayes's intrigue got the better of him "This extra data, what effects will it have on us?"

Rush continued from Eli, addressing both of them "There is information in there that may advance your society perhaps three of four hundred years into the future in a short time. We are not concerned so much that you have it, more about who has it and what is done with it; this was given to your people, not any organisation or elite few."

Hayes knew exactly where Rush was coming from "Dooghan is an asshole, and he will exploit it for his own gain; but what he doesn't know is that "we" are actually in control of the facility. Our men are already _inside_ undercover. The problem we have is that the current president is a puppet for the SSPA, and our real President is standing in front of us." He motioned toward Banbang and continued; "It was a good choice to select Krystal to go aboard your ship, but not so good with that idiot Deed La'tell, who went straight to the SSPA with all the footage."

Everett made comment "We could hear what he was saying into the camera, our ships translator picks up everything, even whispers; we didn't get any warning that he was saying anything different." He paused for a moment thinking about what he was going to give away next; "Our ship has AI, Artificial Intelligence, and a very human personality...she will do anything to protect us and our mission; that included allowing us to break the rules and get here to save our exploration team."

Banbang looked at Everett with a surprised expression "The ship can think like a person?"

Eli explained "Destiny has a capability of cognitive intelligence; the more time we are onboard, the more she learns about us and our behaviour...although there is no judgment of our actions. We are free to make our own choices and live our lives, but as with any society there are certain rules we have to abide by; the main rule is to stay on _our_ mission."

The President was very interested in this "So...the ship won't interfere with your lives as long as you stay on the mission...is that what you're saying?"

Rush picked it up from there "Our journey is the mission; some of the people wish to leave and will when the opportunity arises, but for most of the crew the mission has become our lives. Humans or Tau'ri as we're sometimes called, are natural explorers; it was our "ancestors" the Ancients who built Destiny well over a million years ago and she has already crossed the universe. We found a way to dial into the onboard stargate from a planet...and here we are."

Everett changed the subject, getting back on point "What we really need to know is; will the data we gave you be in good hands, or do we need to take drastic action to remove it?"

Hayes looked at his President for conformation before speaking; "We have been planning a full military takeover of the government that was due to happen just as you arrived. Not knowing your intentions, we held off until things had settled down. Dooghan may have some of the Government at his beck and call, but not the opposition who have been diplomatically fighting ever since President Neb stood down. Before you ask, he did it to save his daughter after being betrayed by Dooghan; although now we have the evidence and military power on our side."

Everett looked deep into General Hayes eyes and saw a reflection; not of himself, but of General Jack O'Neill. The man before him was standing beside someone who was truly worthy to lead his people; Everett had seen this before on his own planet:

"You believe you can pull this off...and win?" he asked

General Hayes had looked the same way at Everett and seen himself in his position; would he trust someone from another world with this kind of life changing information? Hayes then said something that struck a chord with Everett's very soul;

"Please General Young; I can help my people..."

Everett turned to one of his men in the background "Go get it..."

The Marine returned with a shiny gold case, around the size of a backpack. Everett placed the device down on the table to their right and pressed his fingers into the scanner locks, allowing the lid to open. Even Krystal came over to look at the device that had a small display with ancient language and several lit up buttons around the circular screen in the centre of the dome.

"This is a type of EMP device but far more powerful; it will destroy and corrupt any electronic or computerised equipment within the pulse radius. As far as we know, there is absolutely no know substance or element that will be protected from the blast; even underground it will penetrate through anything. The blast radius can be set up to 1000 Kilometres or as small as 10 km; whatever is within the radius will be fried, including the storage drive we gave you; I would suggest it as a last resort."

Looking at the device, Hayes said "We have EMP bombs; but nothing as powerful as this, or with the type of penetration you're referring to...very impressive" Everett showed Hayes how to use the device and enrolled his fingers in the security lock.

Everett looked at Banbang and Hayes "I am sorry we have caused so much intrusion in your lives, and bid you all the best with your plans; it has been a tough lesson for us too."

They turned to leave after bidding farewell, with Krystal coming up to Lt. Scott who had been standing in the back ground; giving him a big hug and kiss on the cheek;

"Thank you..." she said

"What was that for?" he asked a bit shocked but smiling;

She answered smiling at him;

"Walking on the moon..."


	12. Chapter 12

Hello to Everyone...there are some answers in this one to earlier questions some very dedicated people pick up on through the series (although some of you may have thought of as mistakes). Over the next few episodes, the answers will probably lead to more questions...That is one thing I have learned from watching Stargate, events can take time to conclude...

Enjoy!

SGU s03 e12

Knowing

Destiny had been in FTL for the last week; it had taken twenty six hours to finally cool down enough and perform minor repairs to reinstate the drive. Both the crew and ship had learned a valuable lesson from the encounter with the Terestay race; knowledge is power and it can be dangerous, but wisdom is the ability to understand the difference. Everett was now sitting in Jack O'Neil's office again, having just explained for the last three hours what had taken place.

Jack didn't give much away with his straight face "So, do you think Professor Neb would make a good ambassador for her planet eventually?"

Everett smiled back "If they have control, and all is well...don't see why not..."

The subject matter turned to more local events; "Everett, there is something else we need to discuss...that will be happening here...soonish..." reflected Jack.

"What...is the IOA going to take over SGC?" he replied with a grin.

"Not to my knowledge...but; anyway...there has been a lot of public speculation about our new "aircraft"...Information, photo's, and lots of internet chat has been happening about our F 302's and the new class of "Enterprise" ships being spotted by aircraft buffs and amateur astronomers with really high powered backyard telescopes." Jack waited for it to twig.

Everett didn't know about the new Tau'ri/Asgard design of cruisers called Enterprise class, but caught on quick;

"Enterprise class...what, did they finally let you call the shots Jack?"

Jack couldn't contain his smile "It was a trade off for not letting me retire...they let me name the class of our new hybrid ships, but they still wouldn't let me call one USS Enterprise; they said it may infringe copyright or something" again O'Neill waved his hand dismissively; disappointedly he continued.

"I guess it had to happen sooner or later, we couldn't keep it secret forever anyway; so we will be going into full disclosure to the general public about the stargate program. This is not just because things have been spotted, more for our own benefit of becoming the fifth race; one of the conditions is that the general public have to understand we are not alone in the galaxy."

"Holy shit!" was all Everett could come out with as he took in the news; "Full disclosure? Even us?"

"Not at first, but we will introduce the public to one of our good friends, of whom we only found out recently was still alive..." Jack loved being cryptic

He didn't fool Everett for long "Thor is still alive... except a small few; I thought all of the Asgard died?"

Jack smiled broadly as the flash of white light engulfed the room;

"Greetings General Young of Destiny..." as Thor stretched out his hand to Everett.

* * *

><p>Shaking his hand; "It is wonderful to see you again Supreme Commander Thor, I felt a great sense of loss for your people's fate" Everett was humble in his reply.<p>

"Thank-you General, I have been in touch with High Commander D.J and High Commander O'Neill...they are very impressed with your handling of the Terestay situation. They believe you showed great restraint and compassion for these people, even after Mr Wallace's mistake with the data transfer." Nothing escaped the Asgard; Everett figured they had to be following Destiny, but he would one day learn that wasn't the case.

General Young was somewhat stunned by how much Thor knew about what had transpired; but remained silent to the fact, instead asking:

"Commander Thor, may I ask how long your people have known the Ursini...they are a very unassuming race."

"Commander O'Neil had been in their galaxy for several years exploring ways to correct our declining clone predicament, and came across one of their ships by accident. He found the Ursini to be a warm and welcoming people, with surprisingly advanced technology; it was not apparent in their original ship design due to their humble life style. They immediately offered their assistance to O'Neill, asking for nothing in return; an intergalactic alliance was soon had, with the sharing and intertwining of technologies."

Everett thought for a moment the replied "Is that why the seed ships use wormhole technology rather than FTL drives?"

Thor wasn't ready to give too much away, however still answered Everett "Together we have designed a new type of wormhole travel technology; as we found out from the near collision with Destiny, there are some small technical issues but I must apologise that I cannot elaborate any further."

Thor turned to Jack and spoke "General O'Neill, the Tau'ri people need to be informed carefully about the existence of other races; their deep seeded beliefs maybe strongly challenged causing upheaval on a planetary scale."

Jack addressed Commander Thor "We intend to make several statements with the aid of many leaders from various Eastern and Western countries at the UN, that will be publicly televised around the world at the same time; a date has yet to be set but the time will be zero hundred hours GMT. For now we are "not denying" any of the rumours, but not elaborating on any facts either; we believe this will give the population some time to adjust."

Jack returned his attention to Everett "Basically we're letting what people are seeing in the media be seen; many of the worlds renowned Astrophysicist and Astronomers, that don't work for Uncle Sam have all seen our ships and F302's in space with their own telescopes...taken photo's and...Well, really we got busted" Jack finally had a sly grin on his face.

Everett began to laugh gently, smiling at Jack's matter of fact comment "I guess we did huh?"

Commander Thor watched on as Jack started to smile and discretely laugh with Everett, finally interrupting them "General O'Neill, there is another matter that requires your attention; it is concerning Commander O'Neill's findings from his research. He has proposed to the Asgard High Council that a meeting with the Tau'ri be convened on your planet in the coming future, and has requested both yourself and General Young to be present. He has indicated General Young will be collected from Destiny to attend the meeting in person."

Jack looked at his good friend Thor; the Tau'ri were very close to taking their place as the fifth race, and he didn't want to do anything that would impede his own people now but he still had to ask:

"Commander Thor, with all due respect, why can't they bring the other people home from Destiny at the same time?"

Humbly he replied "I understand your asking: the Asgard High Council has been requested to keep a non interference policy of the Tau'ri journey; the most we were allowed to do was repair the ship. As my friend I can only tell you the reason is leading toward your acceptance as the fifth race."

Both men wanted to ask the same question "who requested it?" but they knew better of it, not wanting to put Thor in an awkward position.

Back on Destiny, Camille Wray was guiding Richard Woolsey around the new areas they had found. For once, Telford had been on a mission "out of town" in the Pegasus Galaxy, and the IOA had wanted one of their members to board Destiny for some time. Richard was surprised to see Camille dressed in a short blood red skirt, with a matching white blouse that had faint red alien floral arrangements in random patterns; all completed with a pair of short heeled matching red shoes. He was impressed at how attractive she looked, but knew Camille well;

"That is a lovely outfit you're wearing Camille, was it one of the donated apparel form the Terestay planet?"

Camille smiled broadly at Richard "Yes, and I don't think I will ever complain about having nothing to wear...ever again" she laughed. "So, why is it that you're here...shouldn't you be on Atlantis?"

Richard shook his head, "I am still in charge, but I needed a holiday so I came back home for a few weeks. The directors decided that I might make a good exchange for Everett, and here I am."

Camille smelled a rat, but kept quiet "So what does the IOA want with Destiny...or is it the people this time?"

Woolsey had learnt a lot on Atlantis about how things operate in a closed community, and could understand her concerns; but he had his orders about the Terestay incident.

"Honestly, they just want to know how everyone is coping with what happened on the planet; they really just have your welfare as a top concern. How did Everett handle the situation...do you believe he made the right choices bringing the ship so close in _as __too __scare __the __people_?" His tone changed on the last part of his question, becoming more cynical;

Camille instantly fired up at Woolsey; in an unusual show of defiance she quickly ripped open her blouse, revealing a small scar about half an inch in diameter in the right quadrant of her abdomen where a bullet had passed through the lower section of her liver.

"And you have the nerve to _ask __me_ that! I was there being shot and dragged by the hair; those monsters would have raped and murdered me had Sergeant Greer not killed them!" Her rage grew even as Richard felt only 2 feet high; "If you want the truth, it was Chloe who parked the ship that close, Young was already in the shuttle at the time...how dare you!"

Woolsey backed right down as Camille started crying; by now someone had heard the commotion and called for help. Answering that call was MSgt. Greer, who again ran to her aid this time with Woolsey in his sights.

A very upset Camille turned to Ron for comfort as he gently pulled her behind him in a protective manner. She now trusted the Sergeant implicitly after his actions for her, and had come to understand the hidden gentleness inside his heart after their conversations from the Corporal Reynolds incident.

Looking intently to intimidate Woolsey he drilled "What the hell is going on here, do we have a problem?" Greer's strong military tone took Richard down a notch.

"Um...I am very sorry Camille, obviously this issue is still very raw with all of you...please forgive my asking" Woolsey made a sincere apology for his questioning of their judgment.

* * *

><p>Sometime later, Eli and Nick were on the bridge as usual along with their highly intelligent partners, and Adam. This time Amanda was in Kirks chair assisting both Nick and Eli with a small problem they had not worked out yet; after several minutes of small talk between all of them Eli suddenly stopped in excitement:<p>

"Holy crap, I found it..." he said turning to the others. "The sub space channel was hidden behind the ships internal com systems..." with that Eli brought the program up on the main CI screens across the bridge.

In a blasé voice Nick congratulated Eli "Thanks Eli...but have you worked out how to use it yet?"

"Um...no, but we will" said Eli, still elated at the find.

Back on Earth it was around 3.00am when Dr Jackson whom had fallen asleep at his desk again, was suddenly awoken by a strange noise coming form an ancient device sitting in his room. He left his chair to collect the device, only to get another shock as he touched it; a picture message suddenly appeared in his mind from the tingling sensations in his fingers. Now moving back to place the device on the table, he cleared his mind allowing the image to focus into a readable message:

"This is Destiny calling Earth...please respond"

"Cool...this must be some type of sub space receiving device..." he thought to himself, but next after a short delay he got another shock;

"Daniel? Is that Daniel Jackson? It's Eli Wallace from Destiny..." Eli was stunned he had heard Daniels voice on the bridge com.

"Um...Eli, yes...this is Dr Jackson...how you guys doing?" Daniel didn't speak a word out aloud, only in his mind.

"Yeah, Dr Jackson...were doing ok...we were looking for our subspace link and I guess we found it...but it seems to read my mind."

"Must be the way it works...I haven't spoken a word out loud yet. So this means we have a real time link with you guys now..."

"Um I guess so...hey, what time is it there?" asked Eli

"It's just after 3.00am...that wouldn't really matter to you guys out there too much would it?"

Eli laughed, but then had an idea...remembering an old trick with keyless car doors he asked Daniel for his cell phone number;

"I'll try and call you..." within a few seconds Daniels phone rang and he answered, leaving one hand on the device.

This time Dr Jackson spoke into the phone "Hello?"

"Oh my God...it works!" Eli couldn't believe it "Dr Jackson it seems that we can now make calls back home..."

Speaking into his phone Daniel smiled at Eli's jubilation "It appears so Eli... hey would you guys be in FTL by any chance?"

"Actually we are, so this kinda makes sense...real time link with the home world...I would hate to know what the call rate would be..." Dr Jackson smiled at Eli's comment.

"Look...um Eli...I'll get this device to General O'Neill later in the morning and we can work out the best way to use it; I mean it doesn't appear to have a power source so will have to work out how it operates, and set your watch too 03.20 to stay on our time zone." With that Daniel ended the call, and removed his hand from the device.

Dr Jackson thought to himself for a while about how he had handled the device before without activating it, and now he had an idea why; it needed to know who to call...

Everett had been back for a couple of hours; having been briefed all about Woolsey's questioning of the encounter, and informed of their subspace transmitter. He and Te'arly now had a system worked out, of using a special phrase to signal he was himself; one was by calling her "Te'". Everett was now completely in love with Te'arly and couldn't imagine life without her, and there was no way she wanted to leave either.

Everett sat on the side of the bed explaining about the Asgard meeting; Te'arly was sitting on his lap with her toned smooth legs wrapped around his back facing him, and just looked lovingly at him with her hands around his neck saying;

"Take me with you...I want to meet your people."

He clamped his hands together around the small of her back "There is nothing more I would like to do, but I don't think the Asgard will let me..." he replied.

"Have you asked them baby?" Amanda's lessons in Tau'ri culture was starting to show in Te's language.

"Um...I would have to wait until they were here before I could, but they may just beam me out without notice" Everett knew how the Asgard did just that, usually while you were in the middle of something.

"Honey, can you use Eli's new message communicator to talk to them?" she leaned forward and softly kissed his neck, using her tongue as she worked her way up to Everett's earlobe.

Trying to stay focused on the conversation was now impossible as she pushed him back flat on the bed; "Ok...I'll give it a try, but we don't really know how...it...works...yet..." Everett's words trailed off as Te'arly ground herself against his hardness; her passionate kisses stopped any further conversation.

* * *

><p>Te'arly wasn't the only woman showing her love; Chloe had a surprise for Matt's Birthday that he himself had forgotten about. Making him sit on the end of the bed and keep his eyes closed, she sensually stepped out of the small bathroom; wearing only a royal blue satin and lace teddy, that did very little to hide anything underneath.<p>

"Open your eyes baby..." she cooed

Matt nearly fell off the bed "Ohh...Chloe...you look...wow, stunning!"

"Happy Birthday baby, I'm your present..." Chloe moved gracefully toward Matt and turned around teasing him, holding up her now very long dark hair lustfully.

Matt looked at this vision of beauty in front of him;

"Marry me..." he said in a stunned voice

Chloe spun around to face him in shock "_What?__"_

"I said _marry __me,_ I mean..." Matt got down on one knee "_Will __you __marry __me?_"

Tears ran down Chloe's face...she was still stunned by his proposal;

"I...I..." she stammered the words, unable to put them together; her mind was spinning:

Matt took her hand and asked in a more traditional sense;

"_Please,__Miss __Chloe __Armstrong; __will __you __do __me __the __honour __of __becoming __my __wife?__"_

On the bridge, Amanda had everybody watching her in shock from the expressions on her face, as she stood there with baited breath; she broke her silence and said out loud: "Come on Chloe, say yes girl!"

Chloe's tears streamed down her beautiful rosy cheeks as she looked at the man who had become her soulmate;

"Yes...yes I will!" she leapt on Matt wrapping herself around him kissing him wildly.

Amanda nearly jumped through the roof of the bridge with happiness as she screamed "YEEEEESSSSS!"

Eli looked on stunned "What the f...?"

Amanda suddenly lost whatever was left of her normal composure; still smiling she looked at the others staring "Um...sorry..."

Nick quickly came to her aid: "Um...there are some things we um...haven't disclosed to everyone for good reason; so what I'm about to tell you all doesn't leave the bridge...understood?"

They all agreed still perplexed by Mandy's actions;

"Tell them what's going on Mandy..." said Nick.

Amanda wasn't usually scared of a crowd, but now she was nervous;

"Um...I...I am able to...um...talk with Destiny..."

Eli looked on with confused face "But we all can, I mean...we just speak and she answers..."

Rush interrupted him politely "Give her a chance Eli...go on Mandy, tell them what you told me."

"Ok...I can hear her thoughts, access her memories and data...and know what _she_ knows. I seemed to have retained a very strong neuro link from my consciousness being stored for so long; it's like she is a part of me, but I can't foretell what Destiny will say or do next no more than any of us. I only know things as they happen, not before; you have to remember _she __knows __everything_ that happens to all of us while we're here. I was happy because Matt just asked Chloe to marry him..." she looked at Ginn;

"And she said yes!" Everyone started to smile now; "But please don't spoil it for her, let Chloe and Matt announce it for themselves."

Eli suddenly realized the power Mandy had access too; and the secrets, all the secrets. "So, you know what everyone is up to...and what they do?"

"Yes, but you must understand; Destiny has allowed this connection to remain, so there is a real reason for it. I have access to incredible amounts of medical and engineering knowledge that I have used to help all of us when we needed it. I would never use what I know privately about the people here; the same as Destiny doesn't interfere in our lives."

Now Eli was getting agitated "Well then, I guess we truly have no privacy...even on the other side of the known universe. That's just fucking great..." his words now coming out sarcastically;

Nick turned to him "Eli, this isn't the way it is..." before he was cut off again

"Oh no?" he spat it out "So, if Amanda knows it, I guess _you __know __it __too __then_!" He was now furious at both of them, and stormed out of the bridge; Ginn followed a moment later in an attempt to calm him down.

Nick held Mandy as she cried gently; Adam just sat there and said "Cool...must be fun knowing everyone's business...lucky you're not one to gossip" he chuckled quietly trying to lighten the mood...

* * *

><p>Lisa was sitting in the dome with Ron and for the first time after her injury, was able to make out the fruit from the leaves.<p>

"I can see them now" she turned to Ron "You're still a bit fuzzy, but I can make out that your smiling..."

Ronald was indeed smiling; "How many fingers am I holding up" and kept his hands to his side.

Lisa put her hand in his lap grabbing him as she giggled "Only this one you bad boy..."

"You're lucky the healing bands work fast..." said Ron as he cuddled her to his shoulder.

The treatment made by T.J and Varro was working very well with Lisa's vision returning rapidly over the last week; at the rate it healed, T.J believed she would have her normal sight within 2 more weeks. Varro had made an eye chart to gauge the rate of improvement; he had removable letters and numbers allowing them to mix them around, for true results. Lisa could read down to the third line now, although it was still quite blurry. Varro had found a couple of spin off's from the solution they had made for her eyes, with one being a powerful anaesthetic; the other being a far more sinister compound, was a moderate hallucinogenic when mixed with a particular botanical nectar. Varro didn't know if this was to be of any value on the ship, but he recorded his findings before dissolving the compound.

Varro was with T.J working on the DNA chains from Te'arly's and Matá's blood samples. They were in a new part of the ship on the starboard side that was a full laboratory, with more equipment than they could have imagined. Adjoining the lab, were a row of eight, small but cosy cabins; Varro had earned the right to have his own space, and had chosen the largest cabin for himself. He had surprised himself about his new scientific calling; enjoying the challenge from being part of the Lucian Alliance, to settling down as a lab rat. He had another very good reason to be there too.

T.J ran her fingers through Varro's hair "You know, we're going to have to face everyone sooner or later..."she said.

"I know...I just hope General Young won't kill me" Varro was semi serious.

Tamara kissed him softly on the cheek as she hugged him around the neck "He's not a bad man, and besides...I think he is with Te'arly now anyway. We both knew that what we had was never going to work out; most of it was based on lies from the beginning." T.J tried to reassure him.

"We should front Everett first Tamara, and tell the truth about us before it gets out of control...I believe he should be reasonable about it" Varro wasn't sure though.

The next day Varro knocked on Everett's door; without invading his privacy he simply asked to see him in private at an arranged time. Everett agreed to meet him in the lab after breakfast, and had a feeling he knew what it was about; an hour later, they met.

"Ok, let me guess" started Everett "This is about you and T.J right?"

Varro wasn't one to shrink down under adversity and stood toe to toe with Everett, but in a respectful way "Yes...we have been seeing each other"

Everett dropped his guard and smiled, becoming more relaxed "I had a feeling..."

"Look, General; I do care for her deeply and I'm not about hurting Tamara, that is the last thing I want" Varro put his cards on the table; "We want to be together without the scrutiny of the other crew members, so I'm asking your permission; we don't want to hide in the shadows."

"Huh...mm...I see" he looked Varro over; still holding his smile "If you hurt her in anyway, _I __will __kill __you...slowly __and __painfully _do you understand?_"_

"Yes General, I understand she is special to you as well...Oh, and how's Te'arly?" Replied Varro tongue in cheek;

"Yeah, she's fine; don't push it..." Everett kept up his fake smile before turning to leave.

On the way back to the directional elevator he found T.J who was headed back to the lab;

"Tamara, I..." Everett looked for the right words, "I'm sorry...I should have told you myself..."

T.J looked uncomfortable but managed to tell him "It's ok Everett; I understand...she is a very beautiful person"

Everett could see the pain T.J had in her eyes "I...I want you to be happy, Varro obviously loves you so..."

"I love him too General...and I _trust_ him" she replied

Everett reached out and hugged her; T.J sniffled as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks saying;

"I don't regret anything that happened between us..." she broke the embrace and looked at him, wiping the tears away;

"You and Te'arly make a good match...I can understand why she fell for you"

Everett smiled at her, thinking about Te' "I think Varro is a decent person, and most of all I trust your judgment...but don't tell _him_ I said that"

T.J smiled from her heart "Take care Sir..."

"You too Tamara...you too" Everett continued on his way.

* * *

><p>Chloe was now on the bridge with a very happy expression, but had remained silent about her "big news". Adam knew but kept quiet as asked, besides he didn't want to be caught in the middle anything. Volker was also finally back on the bridge having been able to break himself away from Matá, long enough to do some real work. He couldn't stop talking about her, and was babbling on to a now absent minded Adam all about Matá's culture and planet.<p>

A message appeared on Chloe's CI from Destiny "Unidentified signature detected"

She immediately called for quiet as she worked the CI; "Shut it!" she got their attention; "I'm honing in on that unidentified signature..." the bridge went quiet

Destiny did her best to lock onto the disruption signature, managing to hold it for several seconds even though it seemed to be moving away from them; then it was gone.

The message come on screen; "Sorry Miss Chloe Armstrong, we have lost the signal"

Chloe didn't want to give up, and had an idea "Destiny, run a comparison against the last recordings we have..." it didn't take her long;

A graph came on screen; compared to the first few they had encountered, this one had gone for three and a half seconds. Adam, Chloe, and Dale analysed the data;

Adam spoke first "The first part of all the signatures match up almost perfectly. Destiny run a comparison against the Nakai (blue aliens) ship; there the most likely to be following us."

Chloe looked at Adam and told him honestly "It's not them...I'd be able to feel it..."

Destiny's results confirmed Chloe's comment; this was something else.

Chloe opened the com "General Young, please come to the bridge urgently Sir"

Sensing something was wrong, Nick hearing the announcement also came running to the bridge and met Everett as he opened the door.

"General...we have picked up another signature; this time it was for about four seconds. We have run it against the blue alien ship, but it has come back negative" informed Chloe.

"Have Destiny run a full scans against every ship we have in the database; if nothing turns up, try other anomalies she has come across." Young was looking for a needle in a hay stack.

While the scans were running, the crew discussed possibilities; Dr Rush looked carefully at the matching patterns displayed on the CI screen.

"This looks somewhat familiar, but I can't remember where I last seen it" said Nick

Everett had another idea; "Rush, hook me into the subspace communicator; I need to make a call"

Nick showed him where to place his hand on the screen after opening up the communicator, and said "Just think of whom you need to contact General, and it will connect...at least I think it will"

Everett closed his eyes and concentrated on Asgard D.J; it wasn't long before he got a reply:

"Greetings General Young, I see you have mastered the subspace communicator; how may we assist you?"

It was strange to the crew watching Everett communicate with his mind, although his lips were sounding the words no vocal was produced; "Commander D.J; I am sorry to ask but are you following us several light-years behind?"

After a short delay the answer came back "No General Young, we are in orbit around the Ursini home world; Commander O'Neill is with Supreme Commander Thor on your home planet, is there a problem we can assist with?"

"We have picked up a signature of what is believed to be a vessel that has been following us for some time. The signal remained for around four seconds allowing a better trace, but the vessel seemed to be heading away from us. The recorded data appears to match our earlier encounters, but we have ruled out many possibilities including the Nakai"

Commander D.J responded after a short pause "Please send the data and we will analyse what you have through our systems"

Everett looked at Nick asking "How do I send the data?"

"The same way, just think about what to send..." Nick smiled at Everett

Before he could even think about it, Everett's subconscious mind had caused the data transfer through the open subspace link;

"Thank you General Young, I will contact you shortly...is there anything else?"

Everett thought for a minute then asked "Would it be allowable for Te'arly to come with me to Earth for the conference?"

He held his breath for the reply "She would not be allowed in the chamber, although as your companion it is permissible"

Commander D.J disconnected the link as usual without formality.

Destiny had narrowed the search down to ten definite signatures. All of them went over the data presented until they were left with only three probable choices; Everett felt a calling in his mind and answered the subspace link.

"General Young, I am transmitting the results from our search now" said the Asgard

"Thanks" replied Everett as the transmission disconnected;

An eerie quiet came over the bridge as they all looked at the message that confirmed Destiny's primary choice;

"Vessel type; Warship"

"Origin; Ori"


	13. Chapter 13

Hello again to all. This is a second re-write of this chapter; the original left far too many "holes" that would not have worked out. I am introducing a new race that will predate the Ancients and in the reality of the Stargate Universe, I hope that they may answer some questions of where humans began. I have done a lot of research on different websites to find any pre Ancient history (aside from the Ori split) but have drawn a blank with "they came from an unknown galaxy". As one could imagine, finding a race that has survived and existed for millennia and had chosen not to Ascend, would make for an extremely advanced race beyond anything current humans would understand. The next chapter (14) will address as best as possible some blank history the writer's never mentioned. I have to say, how it would feel to have allies like this; but even with all the technology, the universe will always have the final say...

I hope you all enjoy this one.

SGU s03 e13

Ori

Everett looked at his sleeping beauty beside him; as she lay on her side in peaceful slumber he played gently with her long now streaky blonde and dark brown hair, while Te'arly's intoxicating scent filled his senses. He couldn't remember when he felt so overwhelmed by the love and innocent honesty of another human being. Running a hand along the side of her exquisite body and over the shoulder along Te'arly's arm until, he draped it across under her breasts and pulled his soul mate in closer. He could now feel a slight firmness of her pregnant belly and knew he would have to explain a few things amongst the crew within a few weeks.

Everett whispered, "I love you so much, I can't imagine my life without you..."

In a sleepy voice an answer came back as she placed her hand over his "Your my whole world baby...I love you too."

About an hour later both of them were sitting in the mess enjoying breakfast; Eli and Ginn sat down to join them:

Te'arly asked, "How have you been feeling Ginn?" smiling at her and Eli;

Ginn, suddenly looking a little pail jumped up and ran for the bathroom before she could even get a word out; Eli spoke for her obvious action:

"Um...it seems she suffers from bad morning sickness" as he watched her run off.

"I'm glad I don't..." said Te'arly in a casual way forgetting no one knew about her.

Eli looked back at her and Everett whose face gave it away "You mean you're pregnant too?"

* * *

><p>Te'arly realised her error, but with her honest nature she simply replied "Sorry, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone yet..."<p>

Eli looked at Everett with a smile, but the General just said, "She was pregnant before boarding the ship Eli..."

"Oh, ok..." Eli thought about it for a moment remembering why Te'arly was on the ship, but then withheld his next question out of respect for them.

Everett could see the question in his eyes, although Eli stayed quiet

"Thanks Eli..." he said.

"Hey, that's ok...we all have our own problems" he looked around to see Ginn looking a bit worse for wear heading back "that would be mine..." Te' and Everett smiled at him as he got up and went to Ginn.

Matt walked into the mess with Chloe in hand, and up to Everett saying hello;

"Um...Sir, could we have a moment?" he asked;

"Sit down son...what's on your mind?" asked a knowing Everett.

Before Matt could speak, the strange wave of Destiny dropping form FTL came across them; the com opened and beckoned Everett "General, there are two gates within range; a third seems to be inactive..." said Volker from the bridge.

"Thanks Dr Volker, I'll be their shortly; Young out"

"Did you want to ask me something Matt?" Everett looked at him and Chloe with a smile;

Matt turned to Chloe and then back to his General "Uh...it can wait Sir"

"Ok, but don't wait too long...you better get a team ready Lieutenant..." both Everett and Te'arly smiled broadly at them, but he resisted the temptation to congratulate them.

"Yes Sir..." they left hand in hand as Chloe looked at Matt asking;

"Do you think he knows already?"

"Everyone seems to know everyone else's business around here..." as he squeezed her hand for reassurance.

Adam Brody was in the gate room now sending a keno through to survey the planet; the pictures came back of a lush green world full of plant life and water falls in the distance. He circled around the gate and lifted the keno high up to get a better aerial view, but found no signs of structures or dwellings.

He looked at Lt. Scott "The place looks empty, but it's a balmy 92 degrees outside and seems to be very tropical with high humidity; I can't see any signs of ruins or dwellings with the keno."

"Ok Dr Brody...Alright people, let's go" and with that they walked through the gate.

On the other side the heat and humidity of the day hit them like a ton of bricks as they walked down the overgrown ramp. Destiny was always at a steady 68 degrees and over time the crew had adjusted to the comfortable temperature. Smells of rainforest engulfed them as they took up defensive positions around the gate while the civilians came through.

Greer looked at his Lieutenant saying "Man this place smells like South America, without the pollution..."

A flying creature taking off from the tree tops with an eerie squawking sound suddenly startled them; it looked like half eagle and half pterodactyl.

Scott answered Greer "Looking at that we ain't in South America...I hope there's no T Rex lurking around..."

* * *

><p>Camille Wray had wanted to get over her fear from the Terestay experience, and had gone along to help with the collection of plant species. She stood in awe of the incredibly large waterfall they could see in the distance; it would have been around a hundred meters across and fell into a giant ravine that looked to be over 1000 meters below. From this position the crew quickly worked out they were standing on a plateau of a canyon, in what seemed to be a prehistoric land. Their equipment finding little apart from animal life within scanning range confirmed this; there was a nearby water stream that flowed gently towards the direction of the big waterfall they could see.<p>

"Lieutenant Scott, there are no signs of humanoid life or technology within range or in orbit; the planet appears to be in a prehistoric stage..." said Franklin now well healed of his wounds.

Lt. Scott looked over at Franklin "Ok...but keep scanning for life just in case something comes our way..."

"Will do Lieutenant..." he replied; then added, "hey...this place is showing deposits of naquadah about 2 clicks from our position"

Matt spun back around to Franklin "What?"

"Yeah, not real big amounts...but enough; might be worth a look" Matt moved over to Franklin and looked at the scans; Franklin answered him before he could ask, "No, the planet doesn't have a naquadria core, but it might mean we're on to something. Mind you, it is a pretty rare element to find anywhere"

"I need to contact Destiny..." Matt headed back to the gate with his keno control in hand, and dialled the ship; holding the radio he called Everett.

"Destiny this is Lt. Scott do you copy?"

"Go ahead Lieutenant..." replied Everett

"Sir we have found what appears to be a small deposit of naquadah about two clicks form the gate. The only problem I can see is how dense this jungle is; could take us a while to cut through..."

"How longs a while Lt. Scott?" asked Everett well aware of the limited time;

"Well, even if we use the plasma rifles to cut down the foliage...it would still take some time to reach; but then we need to get it, and back. I just don't think it would be enough time to do the round trip" Lt. Scott weighed up the dense terrain they were facing; he knew that using the plasma rifles as ploughs may have unwanted side effects as well.

"Scott, it's your call...you're the one on the ground" replied Everett wishing they had more time;

"Ok Sir; we'll mark it for later use. I don't want any more unnecessary risk of people's lives"

"Agreed Lieutenant...gather what you can and get back, Young out" the gate closed.

Camille was busy gathering different plants while the scientists took readings of the planets wealth of minerals. They did some digging not too far from the gate under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, and found a few small amounts of naquadah; some other elements that would be worth a fortune on Earth like gold and platinum were also found. It seemed that the further the entered into this galaxy, the more the mineral deposits increased; Franklin was starting to put together a "road map" of where different elements had been sourced, with the intensity growing as they progressed through.

Matt spoke to Franklin as time was running out "We'll have to leave in about half an hour, we better get packed up...What are you looking at?" said Matt as he watched him bring up the star map on screen;

"It appears that we are slowly headed toward a naquadria planet soon...if we stay on the current path, I estimate somewhere around here..." as he pointed at the screen "could be the powerful gate we're after" said Franklin.

"How so, I mean it could be anywhere..." replied Matt

"Well, the further we have travelled, the richer the deposits of elements have been...now we have proof of naquadah in this galactic area, there is a real good chance of a naquadria cored planet..." Franklin wasn't getting too over enthusiastic about his findings just yet.

"Have you told anyone yet?" Lt. Scott sounded sceptical, but interested

"Nah, just a theory at the moment; I need some more concrete data to make an analysis" Franklin looked at Matt; "but I'll mention it to General Young when we get back"

"Ok" then he boomed in his military voice "Alright people, let's go!" as he opened the gate.

Back on board, the countdown clock showed just less than eight hours remaining. After coming back with their materials and data, another scientific team was ready to go; Matt and Ronald pulled a double shift ready to go through with another band of fresh soldiers.

Greer looked at Matt "At least the last place was quiet; I wonder what's next?"

"Don't know, but I sure we'll find out" Lt. Scott watched as the old gate spun around and locked in the last chevron, then opened.

As the keno pictures came back, they all stood in awe of the view; Matt commented;

"I think will need the suits..."

"Yeah..." Greer's voice automatically answered as he kept watching the screen.

Matt got his attention away from the sight "Ok people, we need full suits for the next mission...if you don't want to take part I would understand; we will not stay very long due to the possibility of high levels of radiation around the planet"

Within the hour everyone and more where back at the gate room; this time Dr Rush and Dr Brody had joined them to witness what was unfolding on the planet. None of them had ever seen anything like this form this perspective, holding their breath as the gate reopened to the planet. The keno footage was again studied for a few minutes, reviling an uninteresting planet that was mainly a dark and barren rock; Adam and Nick's excitement was obvious as they prepared to walk through.

* * *

><p>"Holy Mother of God..." said Nick as he stood just in front of the gate ramp staring at the sight before him.<p>

It was the universe at its most creative and destructive at the same time; a quasar galaxy of massive proportions was emitting two giant beams of light rays at opposite poles, uncountable light years into the universe. The planet they were now on was probably doomed, being less than half a million light years from the other galaxy offering an unprecedented close up view. The suit helmets were trying to reduce the amount of blinding light and radiation coming in even from this distance.

Dr Brody just shook his head speaking through the suit com "At a guess, these two galaxies will collide in about a billion years at this distance. I would need to calculate the approximate mass...but the younger galaxy in front of us is huge"

Nick didn't move his head; "This planet is on the outer edge of the galaxy according to Destiny's data...this may even be visible from Earth in the future, considering how far we are from home"

Adam looked at Nick "We're defiantly heading in the right direction, back in time from an Earth perspective..."

Matt finally asked Rush "Is there anything useful on this planet?"

Nick just looked at him and smiled "No, just the view..."

"Well perhaps we should get back to Destiny..." replied Matt gesturing toward the gate.

Nick noticed how burnt the rock around him seemed to be; as though it was a recent lava flow.

"Dr Brody, what do you make of this rock...looks fresh" said Nick

"Hum..." Brody looked around at the ground and canyon they were in; he spotted what looked like a tree trunk not far behind the stargate. "Hey, this looks strangely like a tree..." his words trailed off as he got closer;

"What the f...?" it was a burnt tree trunk close into the bluff face.

He reached it with Nick and several others in tow asking; "How would a tree trunk get to a place like this?"

Adam touched it with his gloved hand and broke a piece off; it was still not completely dry inside. Looking all around with Nick picking up on his hunch saying; "There doesn't appear to be any sign of drag marks from the gate...or foot prints"

Suddenly Adam stood upright from crouching near the rocky ground, looking at the horizon; "Get everyone and everything back through the gate now!" they looked at him "Move it!" he screamed.

They took off back to the gate watching the horizon getting brighter with Matt now encouraging all of them "Hurry up...move it people!" with no idea as to why.

The light at the horizon was turning an orange colour, looking more like flames. They reached the gate with a few stragglers still coming; Rush was out of breath but ask Brody anyway:

"This was a planet in another orbit... the galaxy has moved it..."

"Maybe an asteroid...but something big has pushed it close to the sun. We're about to get a really bad suntan..."

The gate opened with Matt on the keno; the last of the stragglers made it and were helped through. Matt, Nick, and Adam watched the fire slowly coming towards them as the last men standing; taking one last look at the incredible sight around them, they turned and walked through the gate as the temperature began to rise.

Back on Destiny Matt asked what was happening along with many of the other crew there; removing his helmet Adam told them;

"I believe the tree trunk was native to the planet...I can't say for sure, but either a massive impact, the other galaxy, or a black hole has pulled what was an inhabitable planet out of its normal orbit. At a guess, it may even eventually crash into the sun."

Lisa was in the gate room while waiting for them to get back "How close do you think the young quasar galaxy is from this one?"

"Well, at a guess I'd say less than you would like it to be...I would have to scan the area to get some more accurate data on the size and distance; but there is no doubt in my mind it will collide with this one"

Everett joined in the questioning "So what happens then, if they collide?"

Lisa answered "Usually the larger galaxy with more mass will sometimes absorb the smaller one within it, but they may also pass through each other and simply form a new larger galaxy. Our own Milky Way Galaxy is on a collision course with the Andromeda Galaxy, but not for about four and a half billion years; by then Earth probably won't be around to see it...one thing is certain about the universe; change is the only constant..."

Nick joined the conversation as more people came to the gate room to hear what was going on;

"There is a definite pattern here; these are both reasonably young galaxies in astronomical terms. I'll bet that the next galaxy Destiny goes through will be even younger; we are getting closer to Destiny's mission" Nick smiled.

Everett answered "The order behind the chaos..."

Adam looked around the room at everyone listening, and addressed the crew "There must be something in all this; a majority of you have elected to stay for whatever reason...I believe it is because deep down we all want to know the truth about our own universe, and how it may have come to be. Destiny was dedicated to finding that out, with a whole complete section of the ship setup to examine and explore what we find."

* * *

><p>Everett and Te'arly sat on the observation deck looking out at the stars; there was still time on the clock, but no one was going through the gate in the last couple of hours. Matt and Chloe walked in, heading toward them. Taking a seat on one of the new soft couches the Ursini had installed perpendicular to where they were sitting.<p>

Chloe looked out the window at the distant stars as she snuggled into Matt's side, and laid her head on his shoulder; he looked at Everett who had Te'arly doing the same.

"Um, Sir...Chloe and I are engaged..."

Everett's grin turned into a broad smile as he got up and shook Matt's hand, then pulled him close and hugged him.

"Congratulations son..." Everett looked at Te'arly as she hugged a very happy Chloe "We are very happy for you both."

They swapped partners and hugged again; Matt said "Chloe has something to ask you..."

Everett stood in front of Chloe holding her hands as she spoke;

"I know you knew my father well, even if you did disagree sometimes..." remembering him, a tear ran down her cheek as she sniffled then smiled; "Could I ask you to give me away at my wedding?"

"I would be honoured to Chloe..." as they hugged again with tears now clearly visible on her rosy cheeks.

After sitting down again Matt asked Everett a difficult question "How did you guys know already?"

Everett sighed; then began to tell them what he knew about Amanda and her link with Destiny. Matt and Chloe listened as he explained how discrete she had to become, knowing virtually everyone's private life. Amanda's unique perspective on life from having been so challenged for many years gave her an extraordinary ability to understand people and respect their privacy.

Matt just listened, then said "Wow...that is some gift to have; tough choice too"

Chloe asked "Could she marry us?"

Everett thought for a minute and then said "We can get a celebrant to use the stones if you like, that would be legal then..." he looked to the stars "Talk about a place to get married...no views like this on Earth."

"No, I want Amanda to do it...out here what does it matter if it's legal on Earth or not?" Chloe's question was gentle.

Everett laughed; "I'm sure she would be happy to do it..."

Matt added "I'll bet she already knows..." as they all laughed together knowingly.

It didn't take long for Amanda to find Chloe and Matt, congratulating them and agreeing to act as a celebrant whenever they were ready. Her and Nick sat with all four of them and watched the view; with drinks in hand they talked about different things that had happened during weddings and receptions they had attended over the years. About half hour later, T.J and Varro now both dressed in civilian clothes; walked in together holding hands discreetly.

Everett looked at Varro with a straight face; then broke into a smile nodding his head slightly.

"Sit...please guys" he said to them with a genuine smile

Tamara looked a little uncomfortable and said "Um, sorry I'm not in uniform Sir..."

"Well...I think it's about time for a change..." even Everett was in new clothes; "We're a long way from regulations out here...and we were stuck in the same clothes for far too long" he started to laugh.

Varro quickly struck up a deep conversation with Nick about the progress they had made on Lisa's eyes and Te'arly's problem.

Nick asked "How is the progress going with Lisa's eye treatment?"

Varro smiled knowing it was working well "She has responded very well to the solution since we started. I believe her eyes will return to normal function in a couple of weeks based on her current progress"

Nick didn't have the same misgivings about Varro that some of the other people may hold; he had seen a man who was forced into a difficult situation that he now had the chance to reverse. Varro had found himself; not wanting to return to his old life, he really made an effort to become part of the crew. It had taken a while but now it seemed Everett had finally accepted he'd changed; the conversation continued:

"Have you had any success with the blood you took from Te'arly's umbilical cord?" as Nick questioned, she leant forward slightly listening for the answer.

Varro aware of her action aimed his answer more at her than Nick "Yes, T.J and I have isolated what we believe is the link in her DNA chain responsible for the disorder; it certainly stands out from the rest of the chain. I must stress Te'arly, we still need to do more test; the fact that you are human DNA makes it easier to isolate anything that shouldn't be there."

T.J looked at Amanda smiling, as she nodded before looking straight at Te'arly "What we have achieved is creating master cells that will remove any pre-programmed part of your peoples DNA chain, and replace it with genetically correct links." Not understanding all the terminology Te'arly looked a little confused;

T.J changed her explanation to a simpler version "We have a way of fixing it, we just need to find the right bit to fix"

Te'arly leaped up off the couch and hugged Tamara, then Varro; "Thank you both so much for what you have achieved to help my people..." after a minute or two she laid down beside Everett with her head in his lap, as he draped his arm around her; she had no more secrets to keep:

Looking up at Everett she said loud enough for all of them to hear "I love you..."

Looking back at her without caring about everyone there the worst kept secret on board was finally made public as Everett said "I love you to darling" she snuggled closer to him and closed her eyes in happiness.

Amanda looked at Tamara and then Varro who smiled back knowing what she was going to say;

"Tamara, we have made some progress for you too..." she said "It isn't a cure, but it may slow the onset of the symptoms down for a lot more years; we still have some more testing to do, but it is looking promising..."

Tamara didn't want to get her hopes up, so she remained interested but not excited "When did you find this out...I mean, I've been working on it too?"

Amanda replied "Only in the last couple of days; sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you earlier...I was hoping to give you better news on the progress"

Tamara smiled "Thanks guys; for all your help..."

* * *

><p>Eli and Ginn were alone on the bridge as the clock stopped counting down. Destiny didn't jump into FTL; instead she plotted a course toward the nearest sun. Eli didn't see the clock as Ginn was now sitting in his lap on Kirks chair having a heavy petting session; before things heated up too much, Eli heard a familiar voice call his name:<p>

"Eli sweetheart..." he looked past Ginn in shock; his mother was standing in front of him with a smile on her face.

Ginn jumped up as he suddenly said "Mom...? What the f..."

"Honey, I don't think it's appropriate to be doing this on the bridge of a space ship..."

"Um..." he looked at Ginn who could see Maryann standing there too; then the realisation hit him "Oh...sorry Destiny; um...we really mean it, we are sorry" Eli's apology was very genuine.

"That's ok sweetie, I know you too are deeply in love" Maryann smiled; then vanished

Ginn looked at Eli saying "I believe we just got in trouble from our _Mom,_better keep this to ourselves then" both of them were impressed by Destiny's polite way of addressing what happened.

"She is amazing...and right; I'll have to add being told off by a star ship to my list of weird things that happen on Destiny" said Eli now paying attention as Destiny rounded a large planet on her path.

It was a different perspective the rest of the main crew had from the observation deck as the ship speed toward the sun at full sublight power.

Nick watched the view asking "Do you think Eli needs a hand up there?"

Everett took another sip "Na, he'll call if he needs us; just hope those two are behaving themselves alone on the bridge..."

Amanda tried to contain her smile; and admired the way Destiny had handled it. Reaching the sun they heard the collectors open up as she flew through the immense magnetic arches drawing up energy. It didn't take long before they left the sun's corona and headed back out into space; a new course came up on screen, with Eli and Ginn checking it over and agreeing. The sensors picked up that signal again, but only for milliseconds; Eli played it back and matched it to the others.

"Damn it, there still tailing us...I know this isn't going to end well" he said, not knowing how right he was;

The now familiar blur came over the ship as Destiny jumped back into FTL.

Destiny wasn't in FTL for more than a day when she suddenly dropped out without warning; orders were yelled over the com as the gate started spinning with an incoming wormhole. Lt. Scott, MSgt. Greer, and Lt. James along with several other Marines and Air force personal flooded the gate room fully armed just as the worm hole stabilised. Everett commanded them to hold their fire and allow whoever to entre.

As the crew watched with bated breath, a lone human male step through the gate with his hands outspread in a peaceful manner. He stood of average height and appeared middle aged being well toned, wearing a golden sleeveless robe, long black paints, and sandals. His hair was streaky grey and long with a Chinese goatee beared that appeared to be slowly greying. He began to speak without any translation required;

"I bring you greetings from our world Valeya (Vay-lay –ya); my name is Castell…what is your purpose in this galaxy?"

Everett walked toward Castell without fear and put forward his hand in friendship "I am General Everett Young, Commander of the Ancient star ship Destiny. We are travellers from the Milky Way Galaxy" Castell accepted the offer and grabbed Everett's forearm firmly similar to the Jaffa.

"It is an honour to meet another intelligent race from a faraway galaxy. Your technology is one of the more advanced in this galaxy; although I have to insist on asking again, what is your purpose for being here?"

Everett turned to his men and waved his hand for them to lower their weapons; sensing this being maybe powerful and highly advanced he decided to tell a limited truth "We are explorers…our ancient ancestors built this ship, although we only arrived aboard some years ago and have continued their mission. The ship has passed through many galaxies collecting data from gated and other planets."

Castell looked at Everett with a discerning eye "Is there anymore to your journey General Young of the SGC and Icarus Base?"

Everett didn't lose his nerve; "You seem to know something about us already…" he smiled.

"We have been watching since your ship, Destiny, entered our galaxy. It seems though you are expecting some trouble…perhaps following you?" Castell smiled knowingly back at Everett.

"Um, ok…I take it you come from a very advanced world; we are not here to cause any trouble with any other beings, we are just looking for…" Castell cut in;

"Looking for the order behind the chaos of the big bang?" Again Castell smiled warmly at Everett with a genuine compassion.

Everett conceded "Yes, that is our mission; what else do you know about us?"

Castell just opened his heart with his voice "Everything…That your people becoming the fifth race in the Milky Way Galaxy depends on your conduct out here; not even you _knew_ that."

Most of the crew standing around watching had their mouths open in shock; Everett gave up his brave demeanour "Who are you? Are you an Ascended Being?"

Castell looked at Everett and shook his head; "No Everett, we have not ascended…but we are in contact with those who have and unlike the Asgard who are bound by their treaty with the Ascended, we will help you and your ship to fight the Ori who follow you. We do not want Origin to be the order of our galaxy; even if you had brought the Ark of truth with you, we wouldn't need it…believe me when I tell you, the Ori are defenceless against us." With a wave of his hand the gate started to turn "Please leave your arms here; _we __will __never __be __your __enemy_…"

Everett looked at his crew; they nodded and disarmed themselves. Te'arly walked up beside Everett; he smiled at her as she took hold of his hand. Castell looked at Eli and Nick;

"Destiny will jump back into FTL when we leave; Mr Wallace please join us…Dr Rush, Destiny will follow a pre programmed course to our world…I bid you all greetings" Castell walked back through the gate followed by Everett, Te'arly, and his usual men; all unarmed.

The gate closed and Destiny blurred back into FTL.


	14. Chapter 14

Hello to everyone reading.

Thanks to those of you who continue to read these works, or comment; it makes this even better knowing other people enjoy what I write. Thanks to all of you for being patient waiting for more chapters; I will defiantly start into series 4, but that will be next year. Please Enjoy...

SGU s03 e14

Human

Aboard the Asgard ship The Samantha, Commander Ra'toli, Asgard D.J sat with Asgard O'Neill, his partner Ursini Commander Birateni (pronounced Bi-ra-ten-é), along with Supreme Commander Thor. Several other members of the re-formed Asgard High Council were also in attendance; Lya of the Nox was presiding over the gathering while an Ascended Lady was also present. It was a passionate discussion being held in the Milky Way Galaxy in the orbit of the Nox home world. Seated at the round table that had once belonged to Merlin, the group of highly intelligent beings assessed the Tau'ri journey of becoming the fifth race.

"Supreme Commander Thor, do you believe the Tau'ri are ready for what awaits them?" asked Lya of the Nox;

"General Jack O'Neill is currently working within his world's governments on ways to announce the presence of other races to the population. We have concerns about the Tau'ri's deep seeded belief systems, some of which do not allow for others in the galaxy or universe; many wars on Earth have waged over these ideals since their inception. It may take many years for the population to accept the presence of other galactic life; scientists have been trying to communicate to the masses about the probabilities, of other sentient beings in the galaxy and universe far exceeding zero" Thor's reply was direct and to the point.

Lya of the Nox turned to the Ascended Lady for the next comment "Lady of the Ascended, is there anything you wish to add?"

The Ascended Lady present wished to remain nameless as she was not ready to fully reveal herself yet, even to the Asgard. She was a beautiful woman with grey-blue eyes, long brown hair, and athletic physique, who would appear to us in her early forties; as an Ascended Being her real age could be counted in millennia. She spoke in soft enlightened tones with a boundless compassion and unconditional love in her voice;

"Their journey on Destiny has been watched by me and others; we are impressed by their ability to overcome difficult situations without resolving to use force. They handled the situation with the Terestay race well, even after making their own mistakes. Commander Thor, you have taught the Tau'ri on matters concerning other races; but never on meeting unevolved races of who know nothing of stargates or interstellar travel. I know they looked toward your teachings to understand the powerful position they found themselves in."

Thor nodded "Your words are kind, Lady of the Ascended; Commander O'Neill was very impressed with the Tau'ri conduct in that situation; it would have been difficult for any of us to resolve the issue while onboard Destiny, with the ship's limited technology."

Ursini Commander Ra'toli spoke next "Although we are not part of your galaxy, we are a part of the technology you wish to share with the Tau'ri. We have now perfected the intergalactic drive unit you wish to install in the new hybrid ships of the Asgard/Tau'ri; I believe they are called the Enterprise Class?"

Thor replied "That is correct; there is something of value we require of the Tau'ri first, although I believe they will respond positively."

* * *

><p>A member of the Asgard High Council interjected; "Supreme Commander Thor, it is this Councils request that this line of conversation cease in the interest of the Asgard; I apologise to all seated here, but this is a confidential matter between the Asgard and the Tau'ri. It should have no bearing on allowing the availability of the new drive technology to be given freely." The Councillor continued before sitting down "All of you will be made aware of the situation at the assembly on the Tau'ri home world; once again, I apologize from the Asgard High Council."<p>

Lya of the Nox affirmed "We respect the Asgard's privacy on this matter. High Commander Ra'toli, is there anything you wish to add?"

Ra'toli stood and surveyed the faces at the table "The Ursini has found the Tau'ri to be compassionate and intelligent beings. We have learned much about their culture and history from the Asgard, and I have personally enjoyed their company onboard Destiny; I have been permitted by the Ursini World Command to allow full access to the new intergalactic drive device, to be incorporated in the design of the Enterprise Class vessels. We believe one of these vessels could intercept Destiny within a few days, to offer supplies and safe passage home for those who wish to leave."

The Lady of the Ascended stood next "Thank you High Commander Ra'toli for your generosity to the Tau'ri. They understand that something is different about your older seed ships, but they do not yet know about the new Ur'torina Drive (Ursini for Dark Matter Drive). Once again, it is with heavy heart that we must deny any interference with the Tau'ri onboard Destiny, especially that of returning their people home...the Ascended do not take this decision lightly of non-interference, there are greater challengers afoot for her refugee crew."

Asgard D.J stood next "We are of the understanding that an Ori Warship is tailing Destiny; this is of great concern to the Tau'ri aboard Destiny. As we have become aware there are other factions of Ori that were in different Galaxies, unaffected by the Ark of Truth. Although you have allowed us to upgrade their shielding and weapons capacity, an Ori class ship is still difficult to defeat in battle even for us... we believe the upgrades on Destiny have the capability to destroy an Ori Warship; however we are unsure of the total sum of power consumption that could cost, putting Destiny at risk if another Ori Warship intervened." Even Asgard D.J was feeling very concerned, but had more to add:

"The Lucian Alliance has acquired illegal access to plans of the prototype Ur'torina Drive, having already adapted a version to one of their Ha'taks. We believe it will not be long before more will follow; their main goal is to capture and control Destiny..."

Lady of the Ascended looked compassionately at D.J allowing her warmth of unconditional love to engulf the Asgard Commander "Then in your heart you will do what is called for should the need arise."

Lya of the Nox again spoke "We will resume these talks with the Tau'ri present soon. Now to matters of Atlantis, under Tau'ri control..."

Meanwhile back on Destiny:

"What the fuck was all that about?" Screamed Adam Brody in confusion;

Nick put his hands up in a slowing gesture "Easy Dr Brody...you saw that with your own eyes; they are more advanced than any other race we have encountered, even the Ancients."

"But he just waved his hand and the gate opened...it didn't even dial! How did he do that...and then he talks to you like he owns the place?" Adam was speaking for all that were watching.

Dr Rush smiled and gently placed his hands on Adam's shoulders "Please Adam...it's ok; sooner or later we were bound to meet a race that was incredibly advanced beyond what we could understand. Judging by what he did they have mastered all forms of Quantum Mechanics, which could enable them to manipulate virtually anything they wish; this is an extraordinary find for us. This race has advanced well beyond the Asgard or Ancient's level of understanding of the known universe..."

"So…we should just follow what he said to you?" Adam's words rang sarcastically with Rush.

Amanda and Chloe walked over with several others now in front of the gate; Amanda spoke softly to calm Dr Brody "Not even Destiny knew about this race, no one has ever mentioned them before..."

Chloe looked at all of them "General Young seemed to trust him, and so does Dr Rush...maybe we should too?"

"Ah! Alright...but if the ship is attacked, don't say I didn't warn ya! Adam walked off in a huff.

Amanda held Nicks hand to get his attention "He said the Ori would be powerless against them; how could that be?"

"I don't know Mandy...that's what Everett will be trying to find out..." They headed back to the bridge to see Destiny's course.

The away team stepped out of the stargate and into a utopia; it was a massive city of buildings similar in design to Atlantis, floating in the air above pristine mountains and forests. In the distance they could see an ocean of deep blue; awaiting them were two women impeccably dressed in robes of sapphire blue and shimmering dark red. Eli's jaw fell open at the sight of the two Goddesses' in front of him, until Ginn gave him a quick discrete jab in the ribs with her elbow bringing him back to ground.

Castell introduced their guests to his partner "This is my partner Valhalla..." as he gestured toward the Goddess in blue; "And this is our Daughter Robina..." Castell then introduced everyone standing there without asking their names, getting them all correct.

"Everett, by now you would be wondering how we get from this platform to the city, yes?" Asked a smiling Castell

Everett smiled and joked back "Amongst other things...I guess you're going to have to show us"

Castell looked him over "Perhaps the Tau'ri race is not ready just yet to understand all that is here; but you have the potential to advance far beyond what any of you could imagine...please Robina, show them the bridge..."

They watched in awe as a pathway materialised in front of them with a wave of Robina's hand:

"How are you doing this?" asked Eli completely spellbound

"Young Eli, the bridge was always there...but your mind is not yet able to see it without help"

Eli looked at Castell with another astounded facial expression "You guys have mastered Quantum physics; seriously?"

The smile returned to Castell's face "Yes Eli, one of many things we have learned to master; shall we go?"

They walked off the platform of the gate and across the bridge to the city. In the space of what felt like ten steps they reached the other side.

* * *

><p>Ronald stopped abruptly on the other side of the bridge "What the... the city looked like it was miles away, yet we've barely taken ten steps?" Greer was unsure of this place already.<p>

Valhalla explained "The overpass has a Quantum gate a few steps in from both sides; our city is about fifty of your Earth miles from the stargate, with an optical illusion of being closer. It is designed to discourage gate travellers from entering without our permission; like yourselves, they cannot see the bridge."

The end of the path was sealed with what seemed to be glass panels, with a double doorway leading to the city streets. Castell placed his hand on a round plate in front of the doors; they opened with a flash of white light to a room they could see beyond the glass. Te'arly squeezed Everett's hand tightly afraid of where they were going, causing him to ask;

"That wasn't there a moment ago..."

Robina answered him this time "This is our Great Meeting Hall...our doorways are similar to the stargate and jump to where we need to be next. It is very helpful when one is in haste to be somewhere..." she motioned to them to enter.

Walking through the crew found themselves standing in an entrance foyer to a large room, with a round table that they could see through the clear glass doors. The Design of the room was similar to some Ancient decor with three dimensional octagonal gold patterns on brown metallic walls; light seemed to be falling from the roof as though millions of fibre optic strands were hanging down. Suddenly more and more people turned up with welcoming expressions and gestures toward Destiny's crew.

Castell and Valhalla opened the doors and asked Everett and his people to come in and sit down; there was no trickery with the doors this time as they passed through and sat where Valhalla kindly directed them.

MSgt. Greer said to Lt. Scott "These are the kindest aliens I think we have ever met..." with a disbelieving grin on his face.

The other Valeyian people moved in and sat in what seemed to be no particular order; Castell stood and began:

"Thank you all for coming; this is an important day for all of us..." Everyone clapped for a moment then fell silent.

"We, the people of Valeya bid warm greetings to the Tau'ri from Destiny; it is an honour that our two races should meet." Castell looked at Everett with a gesture to make a comment, and he caught on quickly, standing up;

"I am General Everett Young of the Ancient Starship Destiny and the SGC of planet Earth; we offer our warmest greetings to you all, and thank you for your hospitality."

As Everett sat back down Castell arose and looked at his guests, who were a little unsure of what was happening; "Please relax my friends…we have much to discuss with you; shall we begin?" Everett nodded.

"As you have all seen, or technology is very advanced to what you have become accustom too. Yes, we have masted many of the mathematical and physics concepts, your race are still learning about; but what has brought about this meeting was your intervention with the Terestay people of this Galaxy." Castell sat down as Valhalla stood to continue.

"We admired your forgiveness to those who sought in striking toward you, and then the sharing in part of your own technology for the benefit of their race." Valhalla looked at Eli and smiled knowingly before continuing; "and your honesty in admitting a mistake…"

Eli gulped quietly and wanted to slip under the table as she continued "We are friends of the Ascended Ancients, the Asgard, Nox, and once of the Furlings who assisted us with some of our technology many millennia ago, before they too ascended."

Eli had questions almost visible on his face as Valhalla shifted her attention toward him, "It is ok to ask Eli, please don't be afraid to stand."

Eli stood and almost went blank with nerves; he took a deep breath and began "Um…I don't want to offend anyone here, but how old are you…I mean, your society?"

Castell stood and chuckled respectfully at Eli's innocent question "Well…now that is a good question Young Eli; personally I am about 1200 of your Earth years old…" he allowed what was just said to soak in for a moment "Our society has survived here for nearly 470 million years…which brings us to the point of this meeting. As you discovered on the planet Hadali, we are on a collision course with the next galaxy we know as Sa'turus. Unfortunately it has been gaining momentum driven by another Galaxy that it collided with only several million years ago; until then we did not perceive it as a threat."

Everett stood next and asked the most obvious question "Is you world in danger?"

Valhalla stood and fielded the question "Yes...we believe it will first have its orbit disrupted; our star will then be torn apart by an emerging black hole that has been located in the remnants of the second colliding Galaxy. This may have been the cause of the acceleration toward us" Valhalla had a slight tear in the corner of her eye.

Again Everett attended to the elephant in the room "With all due respect, you have the technology; why not just leave?"

Valhalla smiled as the tear rolled a little further down her rosy cheek; "This has been our home for so long, we do not wish too."

Eli looked at Everett and stood up saying; "I don't understand...why you would want to stay?"

Valhalla was now starting to show her sadness; Castell stood and replied "Eli, we have been here far longer than most races have been alive. In that time there have been three major asteroid impacts that have devastated the planet for many years; in which we abandoned our homes and city's fleeing to another inhabitable planet twenty light-years away. Once the atmosphere had settled we returned and rebuilt several years later, but we always came home; this is our home young Eli..." he opened his heart allowing them to feel what he felt "and we will never leave."

Everett was still standing next to Eli and made comment; "Without understand how all of you would feel as I've never been in this situation myself, nevertheless it is our custom is to encourage free will and allow people to make their own choices. We respect your decision to remain..."

Everyone seated around the table suddenly clapped and cheered at Everett's statement; they were impressed by their guest's attitude toward free will.

Castell smiled and kept going "We will not stay on the planet as disaster happens please don't misunderstand; it is time for us to ascend and be one with our children..."

All of a sudden the realisation of what Castell just said dawned on the humans from Destiny...

They were the ancestors of the Ancients.

* * *

><p>Everett fell forward onto his hands in shock as his jaw sprung open; they had found the holy grail of humanity.<p>

"You're the first humans!" more a statement than question, as a hush came over the table.

Castell knew this was a massive shock to the crew of Destiny, alas, they had to be told who they were sharing company with: "I am sorry to have shocked all of you by this, but we need to tell you the truth about who we are. Apart from our evolutionary ageing increase, we are nearly as human as you. Many of our ancestors left the planet some 350 million years ago using intergalactic drive technology and began seeking new worlds in different galaxies. As you know they became the Alterans settled down in another galaxy; of course, there was the divide with who you know as the Ancients and the Ori; obviously, after much searching they came across the Milky Way Galaxy and found Earth before any sentient life had evolved, settling down for a while."

Everett and Eli had now regained some of their senses with Eli asking a simple question "So, who does that make you?"

"A Valeyain" was his cheeky reply "The important thing here is not who we are Eli, but how we can help. It is true that the Ori were once a part of our race, but that was millennia ago; we have evolved ourselves and technology way beyond the ability of the Ori. We can shift our planet out of phase in normal time and space…effectively making it invisible to all, including the stargate address."

Everett had a million questions running through his head; Valhalla could see it as she smiled toward him "Ev darling, just start with the first one" speaking as a mother would to a child.

"How can you help protect us from the Ori…the Asgard has upgraded our shields and weapons, saying that we should have enough power to cut through their shields and destroy the ship…"

Castell nodded his head "This is true Everett, but it will drain Destiny's power too much leaving you vulnerable to a second attack; you won't have enough power left to run the shields. What if two Ori ship's attack, how will you defend Destiny?" He watch as Everett ran through the scenario in his head.

Everett chuckled knowing they would be defenceless "I guess we'd be in trouble…"

Valhalla and Castell both chuckled at his more than obvious answer "Unfortunately for the Ori, we will not let you fall into that position. Please don't get us wrong, the Ori are our now distant cousins; alas, for those beings of who wish freedom, they are a plague of evil. We can give you a special technology that will reduce the power drain; in turn you must make a solemn promise not to ever use it against an unequal foe. It will give Destiny ability far beyond her original design; an unfair advantage if you like."

Everett smiled "Out here, who else would we face more powerful than the Ori?"

"We haven't found anyone in that category yet; that doesn't mean there isn't… the universe is unbelievably enormous, even for us" finished Castell.

Robina stood "I have the technical knowledge to install the required systems in Destiny, who is now on route to us as we speak and will be here shortly. We will land her at the city port for the upgrades, and your crew are welcome to spend a sometime with us and enjoy all we have to offer. I'm sure Dr Rush will have many more questions for us all." She paused for a moment before continuing "This technology will take some time to explain, but I am certain Eli and Dr Rush will begin to understand it quickly; I will ensure a full help menu will be installed as well. There is a failsafe with this unit, similar to the systems found on Atlantis…you will be required to have a specific gene to operate the system; these are different to the Ori gene pool, rendering them unable to operate the systems…indefinitely."

Everett was happy but somewhat sceptical "Suppose the Ori force one of our crew to use it against us?"

"You have to remember how clever Destiny is…she will know if someone is under duress and won't allow the system to operate; as you have found out Destiny reads your thoughts, and she has taken quiet a liking to you all. Speaking of which, I believe she is about to enter the atmosphere and land; did you know the ship had that ability?"

Eli looked at Everett and shrugged his shoulders "I thought she did but wasn't really sure…"

With that everyone got up and moved out the door and headed back out the quantum gate; the crew followed Castell and Valhalla to greet Destiny.

Destiny entered the planet's atmosphere and slowed herself down; all Adam, Nick, Amanda and Chloe could do was watch from the bridge; since none of them seemed to have any control even after asking. Destiny answered simply "I am being directed by the Valeyian home world to land; there is no danger." The ship touched down on a massive open deck beside two other alien looking craft, about the same size as Destiny. For the first time in more than millennia, she shut down her engines and other systems; all bar the internal lights, doors and life support.

Destiny was finally allowed to rest.

Nick got straight to the point "Ok, where's the door?"

Destiny lit up a CI console with a map and message "Follow the flashing amber lights."

They all looked at each other with Adam saying "Well, this maybe it then…might be time to get off."

Nick replied "I'm sure this is not the end Mr Brody…probably just the beginning actually"

They turned and left the bridge after announcing to everyone what to do. Nick was the first person out touching Destiny's greyish coloured cold hull with a slight affectionate "tap" of his hand, before heading down the ramp.

"Well done old girl…" he thought to himself as a welcoming party formed on the tarmac.

"Greetings Dr Rush, it is an honour to meet you; please follow us when the rest of your crew catches up, General Young is waiting inside with the others."

While Nick was waiting he walked away to get a better look at Destiny on the ground. Although he'd seen her from space in the shuttle, nothing could compare to her size with the perspective of average size buildings nearby; he marvelled at the sight.

He heard a familiar voice from behind him "Holy shit this ship is huge…"

Nick turned around to see Eli standing behind admiring the same view; "You know Eli, we get to fly her…for all that mass, she is as smooth as silk; now that is the truly amazing part."

Their moment of admiration was interrupted by another now familiar voice; Castell "She is a beauty gentlemen…Dr Rush, you and Eli are required to come with me. My daughter has a lot to tell you both; it's time to go back to school…" they followed Castell through another quantum gate to a lecture room in the cities "Great School of Understanding".

Nick was in an upbeat mood meeting the most highly developed race they had ever encountered since walking through the stargate; also the fact that they were a very genuinely honest and decent people, who above all kept their feet firmly planted on the ground. Both Eli and Castell filled in the blanks about who they really were; Nick stopped dead in his tracks:

"So you mean to tell me we're part "descendants" of one of the most intelligent races in the known universe? Well bugger me!" he smiled feeling privileged. "So what is this device that will help us fight the Ori?"

"Easy Dr Rush…all will be explained in time; this is my daughter Robina, she may look young to you Dr Rush…" he smiled at his daughter;

Robina finished his sentence "I am 600 years old…" she didn't look more than 20 "Please sit and we will begin."

* * *

><p>The Rest of the crew had begun a tour of the city with Valhalla as their host; Castell had left the school and caught up to Everett with another incredible offer:<p>

"Is there a small party that wishes to return home to Earth?" he asked

Everett was taken aback by the shock offer "Are you joking? There are at least thirty people who want to leave!" was his reply.

"Hmm, we can only allow five on a one way trip; sorry to put you in a tough situation, someone will need to choose" said Castell well aware that all of them would want to leave.

"Last time we had to do something like this it went badly; I had to use force, how will this time be any different?" commented Everett remembering the shuttle lotto.

Castell thought about it for a moment before saying "Perhaps the people with young children should have first preference, allowing them to return to their families."

Everett considered Castell's offer; "No, it wouldn't be fair to those left behind; I am appreciative of your very generous offer but...unless all of them can go, I will have to decline."

Castell laughed "I'll have to give you a pass on that one...very well handled Everett; you are proving to put the welfare of your crew above all else again. I understand why the Ancients like the Tau'ri so much; you have inherited many of our own traits" he gave Everett an affectionate rub on the shoulder; "Your tough facade gives way to a very warm heart indeed; any wonder Te'arly fell in love with you."

Castell walked Everett through another gate to a more relaxed looking area resembling a lounge and bar. They sat on a comfortable reclining "couch" as though they were good friends spending time together.

"Everett, I wish we were able to give you more about what is ahead for you; although we are not bound by any treaties, we do respect the wishes of the ascended. They know the Ori will be an issue and would normally not interfere; that is where we come in...We're able to give you access to a technological advantage against them, if for nothing more than our own selfishness in wanting the Tau'ri to succeed. As mentioned before, we are an old race and our planet will soon reach the end of its time too. As a society, none of us want to just become another "dot" in the universe; so with the blessing of our world I want to hand you something very special."

Everett looked intently at the incredible being before him; "What is it?"

Castell reached into his robe and produced an Ancient looking crystal tablet; "It's a key..." he said again smiling broadly waiting for the inevitable question.

Everett shook his head and smiled playing the game "A key for what?"

"Two things..."

"First; you are staring to learn that happiness is a _way of life_, not just a feeling:"

"Second; "It is a key to our repository collective knowledge memory, that will be installed on Destiny; not all that different from the one given by the Asgard. When the time is right, you will use this key for the benefit of your entire species; not just the humans on Earth, but _Everywhere_."

He handed Everett the key "Only someone with naturally occurring Valeyian genes will have the power to fully use this; but you are allowed to unlock several key areas of the database, giving access to much of our knowledge. Don't worry about when the time is right, that person will be there and know what to do; they are already aboard the ship."

Everett smiled at Castell again shaking his head "You always seem to leave me with more questions than answers...I don't know what to say about this gift; there are no words for it...thanks"

Castell just laughed before saying "Always remember the _first_ thing that goes with the key, it is more important than you think...Oh, my wife has organized something very special for Chloe too; she'll find it in her room." He got up off the couch and reached out his hand.

Everett stood and clasped Castell's arm in friendship "Thanks...for everything"

"Please feel free to spend some time here with us, the Asgard will be calling for you soon..." they walked through the quantum door finding Te'arly waiting in a luxurious room that would put any five star hotel to shame; "I bid you fair well...enjoy a well earned break." He winked at Everett and walked out the door.

Te'arly stood there now dressed in one of the traditional robes given to her by Valhalla, looking at Everett "You have a glow about your soul tonight darling, it is the most relaxed I have ever known you to be" she stepped up and put her arms around him "they are the most amazing people I have ever met; just like you!" She kissed his neck softly.

Everett ran his hand up and down her sculptured back feeling the soft shimmering material gliding along his fingers; "Let's just enjoy the time we have here and now; I have a feeling it's the calm before the storm..."

How right he would prove to be...


	15. Chapter 15

Normally I'm at least 2 chapters ahead; this one is an early Christmas present, as I haven't even completed the next chapter. I have some time off, so I might be able to get a couple more done and maybe one more posted before new-year...

I would also like to say Merry Christmas to all the soldiers deployed away from their families in various parts of the world who maybe reading this; I know a few of you do, may you come home safe to your loved ones.

SGU s03 e15

Fallen

Two weeks had passed as the crew of Destiny enjoyed the company, surroundings, and technology of the welcoming Valeyians. The people had a very Zen way of life and often spoke in riddles and sayings to each other; but above all, they were happy...nearly all of the time. Even passionate discussion between them ended with smiles and understandings; they had truly risen above hatred, greed, and pettiness, only focusing on positive aspects of life. Everett had thought that one could only hope humans on Earth would one day find happiness like this; it was remarkable.

During one of their many conversations, Castell had commented to Everett and Te'arly that:

"Life is far too short for hatred and emotions below the heart level; we have learned to rise above money, greed, and most of all, strict religious ideology. We only encourage individual spirituality and the ability to discuss it in public without condemnation from others; like you, we too have different points of view and opinion. Unlike some of the humans through different galaxies, we do not force these views onto others; this is the one reason we will allow our technology to be used against the Ori. Forcing a race or individual to believe in something opposing their free will, is against everything our society has been built on for millennia; many have been killed on your own planet for the very same issues."

There wasn't anything Everett could really say to that, except to agree; money, greed, and different beliefs were the main causes of all the conflicts on Earth, and it was a fact that many humans didn't want to acknowledge. He wondered how becoming the Fifth race would change all that; would it finally be the one thing that could save his own race from destroying itself. In the end he figured only time will tell; it was one thing to be the Commander of your ancestor's starship travelling across the universe, but it was another to "tell" the general public that at home.

Te'arly did have one interesting question for Castell: "How did you get to age so much?" she asked with a cheeky smile;

Castell looked at her innocently but replied in a serious voice; "It was a process of evolution over millions of years, and we don't eat fatty foods..." after a moment of complete silence, the three of them cracked up laughing; if there was one thing that really set the Valeyians apart, it was their incredible sense of humour.

It was finally time to leave with lots of laughter and a little sadness as the crew of Destiny said their goodbyes to the enlightened people of Valeya. All of them had found this difficult although now they understood far more about themselves, and their own race; finding their origins on a far distant planet across the universe was a surprise no human could have ever expected. Life for the crew now had a new meaning, and for the first time since they boarded Destiny under dire circumstances; they didn't feel like home was that far away.

As Castell stood with Everett onboard Destiny's entrance he asked; "Everett, may I suggest to you to make some changes onboard Destiny for those long periods of time?"

Everett looked cautiously at Castell with a smile in his eyes "Ok, what sort of changes?"

"You're a long way from home, maybe you should try some different things to lighten the mood of your crew; I understand you have a military protocol to keep, but maybe save it for when it's needed...It may help the ones wanting to leave become more relaxed for the time."

Everett thought for a moment; "Thanks Castell, I'll see what I can do..." he held out his hand as Castell grabbed his forearm, but then let go and took his hand and shook it gently.

"This won't be the last time we meet Everett; when you need our assistance one day, we will be there for you. Remember, you're our distant cousins and family always comes first..." Castell pulled Everett toward him and hugged like father and son; "We'll be watching over you...always."

* * *

><p>Destiny hummed along in FTL with her human crew busy being human. Chloe was at the ship's controls in Kirks chair, happily chatting away to Destiny about human rituals of marriage and love while no one else was around. She wasn't alone for long as Franklin entered the bridge causing her to abruptly stop, and concentrate on her task of calculating the next flight path through the galaxy.<p>

"How goes the next flight plan Chloe?" asked Franklin sitting down at the forward CI panel.

"Oh...yeah its fine...looks like we'll have three or four planets in range" she replied daydreaming away.

Franklin picked up on it quickly "Huh...got other things on your mind I think..." he smiled at her and got to work for a couple of minutes; Franklin looked back to a distant Chloe saying "You know, this isn't a job _we __have __to _get up and go to everyday, Destiny can fly all by herself...go take some time off Chloe, you have more than earned it"

She smiled broadly at Franklin as she got up and turned around to leave "Thanks Dr Franklin, I think I will..." and left the bridge saying "Bye Destiny, thanks for the chat..." Franklin laughed.

Franklin settled back down for a moment affectionately saying "Well old girl, where are we headed to next?" as he brought up Destiny's current flight plan to study, looking over the CI screen in front of him.

Ronald Greer was doing something very different today; he had abandoned the strict military code of fatigues and was wearing a blue Hawaiian floral shirt, a pair of shorts, and some sandals. The one item he wouldn't part with, apart from Lisa, was his 9mm Beretta; tucked away down his shorts to the side. Lisa was in a red bikini top and matching floral sarong, as they ventured to the garden in the dome. Everett and Te'arly were already sitting there enjoying the fine droplets of water falling over them; they too were dressed in casual clothing. Life had moved forward on Destiny; the rules and regulations of Earth were on the other side of the universe, and they were _here_. Everett had taken the advice given by Castell...

Some things hadn't changed as Ron spoke to Everett with a nod "General...Te'arly, how are you?"

"It's Everett today Son..." he smiled and offered his hand

"Sorry Sir, it just doesn't feel right to call you that..." Ronald shook his hand looking into his eyes

Lisa said hello and sat next to Te'arly picking up to finish a conversation they had started the day before about the vegetation now before them.

Greer smiled "I like this Hawaiian day idea Sir...makes me feel like I have a life again outside of work"

"Ahuh...difficult place to leave I guess, were kinda stuck here for now" said Everett.

"You know Sir, at first I hated the thought we were stranded here but now...I can't imagine my life any different; I..._love __being __on __this __ship_..." Ron nodded as he spoke from his heart looking straight out toward the garden before turning to Everett; "I really want to stay and help General..."

"This doesn't have anything to do with the fact Telford would probably lock you up if you went back to Earth?" Everett looked Ronald in the eyes smiling at his own cheeky suggestion.

"Ha Ha Ha..." Ron laughed with Everett; "You know I never even though of that...forgot all about it."

"I know you did Son...that's why I want you to stay with us; you and Matt saved many lives a few weeks ago, without regard for your own safety...I always want good men around who are not afraid to stand up and do what is right. To many times our people have fallen behind political shadows as evil goes unpunished in our own world; we can change that out here, and that's something the whole of the SGC has done since we first walked through the stargate." Everett had found a complete "clarity of mind" coming from within, that would never have been there when they first arrived; his time on Valeya had opened another chapter in his life, and reinforced to him the human right of _free __will_.

Sergeant Greer looked at the General who Everett had become over the last few months; at first it had taken a toll on him as he'd struggled to be a leader. After he and Rush had finally agreed to continue Destiny's mission _together_, Everett began to earn command of his crew and the Ancient starship.

Greer smiled looking at Everett "We are _good __men_ Sir...and _we __won__'__t __stand __by __and __do __nothing:_ I promise you that...yeah; I know that saying too."

Vanessa and Camille were now fussing over Chloe in their room; Ginn was there too, although she was mainly learning about Earth marriage rituals from them all. The girls hadn't had anything like this happen for so long; it was a novelty for them even though they weren't really caring for marriage when they were home. As Chloe and Matt's families wouldn't be there, the crew had taken on the roll of family and friends for both of them. Of course, Ronald was Matt's best man followed by Eli as groomsman; Eli now cared for Chloe like a sister, as he'd found a partner that would be the envy of many people on earth; a beautiful woman from another world: they were madly in love, having a baby, and for now lived on a starship called Destiny travelling the universe. Eli had never imagined his life could turn out like this, and now there wasn't anything else he would rather be doing; his life had gone from teenage gamer and layabout to a reality beyond his wildest dreams.

A few hours later, Everett and Te'arly were in the mess with Matt, Eli, and Nick. They all knew that at any moment Everett and Te'arly may be beamed out by the Asgard; as usual it was right in the middle of a conversation about the new weapon system, with Dr Rush. The white light of the Asgard beam suddenly filled the room as Everett and Te'arly disappeared; reappearing on the Asgard/Ursini science vessel The Samantha, and greeted by High Commander O'Neill and Ursini High Commander Birateni.

"Greetings General Young and Te'arly, I trust we find you well rested?" said O'Neill

"Greetings to you as well High Commander O'Neill; High Commander Birateni, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Yes we are both fine thank you" replied Everett.

Birateni looked Te'arly over before addressing her "I believe you are a warrior and healer Te'arly; How did you enjoy the rest on Valeya, they are an extraordinary race of humans..."

"I enjoyed their company very much Commander Birateni, I have never known such luxurious surroundings existed" she replied

Birateni expression softened towards her "Please, just Birateni will do fine..."

With the greetings over a familiar voice was heard causing Everett to spin around;

"Everett, good to see you in person again..."

"David!" Everett looked a bit shocked, but happy as Telford emerged from an adjacent room "I thought you were in the Pegasus Galaxy?" as they shook hands.

"Well I was, until our good friends here decided to bring me along for the ride. I'm guessing we are both required to hear what is happening" he smiled at Birateni and O'Neill. "How are you Te'arly; I'm a little intrigued that you are here" looking back at Everett with a big grin "But not surprised..." Telford looked back at Everett who now outranked him; "Have we had a change of uniform I haven't heard about?"

Everett remembered that he was in a pair of shorts and a Hawaiian shirt; Te'arly was only wearing a bikini top and sarong, with her long streaky blond brown hair down nearly to her backside.

"Oh yeah, we were in the middle of Hawaiian Day on Destiny. We had spent so long without anything else to wear; now that we do, we take advantage of it" Everett saw the smile appearing on both Telford's and Birateni's face; even the Ursini Commander could understand the humour.

* * *

><p>O'Neill got straight to business "We will arrive in the Milkyway Galaxy in sixty hours; Commander Birateni has organized quarters for you, everything you need will be there." If there was one thing about the Asgard, they really did provide their guests with everything; clothes included.<p>

Telford looked at O'Neill, "I'll show them the way Commander, it will give me time to catch up..."

"Very well Col. Telford; I will call for you all after a short rest period" O'Neill headed back to the bridge with Birateni.

Telford led the way to their quarters, getting straight to the point "I heard you have met a powerful race with incredible technology; Birateni told me about the Valeyians, he said they have never meet a more powerful race. Is it true they don't fear the Ori, and have the ability to neutralize them?"

Everett though about what Castell had said in keeping some things to one's self for good reason, and decided that this was it; playing it down he replied "They don't want Origin to be the order of their galaxy, but they are not war mongers either; in fact they would be the most peaceful and serene people I have had the honour to meet. Yes, they do possess the ability to destroy Ori ships; and yes, they are the most technologically advanced race anyone we know, knows of. As they say though, Valeyians are not the only race in the universe, so that is still an unknown."

Telford thought this through but was distracted for a moment as Te'arly, not having ever being afraid of the human body, suddenly disrobed and walked to the bath room to freshen up. Telford quickly spun the other way as Everett laughed.

"You get use to that; where she is from, modesty is not a word. How's Emily by the way?" he asked with genuine concern.

Telford was still picturing Te'arly's naked body and understood further why Everett couldn't help falling for her; "Yeah, she's good and said to say hello if our paths crossed."

Everett gave a small grin "Tell her I hope she has moved forward..." David cut him off:

"Ev, tell her yourself; she will be at the base to meet me when we get back. I sent a message to her to say you would be there in person, she is looking forward to seeing you again."

"Who will be there to see Everett?" Te'arly stepped out of the bathroom asking;

Everett fielded the answer "My ex-wife Emily, who is now remarried to David here"

Te'arly walked over to them, this time fully clothed "Oh, it will be nice to meet her..." she said with an innocent smile; "Maybe we could swap stories of our love making?" she was serious; in the Artá culture, the women would talk to each other about this in order to help improve both partners and share their experiences.

David nearly fell backwards with laughter leaving Te'arly wondering what she had said wrong. Everett quickly came to her defence and explained to Telford why she had said it.

"It's a cultural thing they do on her planet David, but I can understand why it sounds funny. Te'arly, on our planet, that isn't something we do because it makes other people uncomfortable. Our race doesn't have the openness about sexuality that your people do. Talking about that with my ex-wife would cause quite a...problem." Everett breathed a sigh of relief as Te'arly started to see the funny side of what she had said.

"Oh...I understand why you laughed at me now..." she punched David on his right bicep quite hard saying "I'm not from your world...dumb ass, don't laugh at me!" her sexy smile was enough to appease his stinging arm.

"Dumb ass..." Everett laughed "Who did you get that word from; let me guess Amanda's lessons?" Everett was amused by her reaction

"Yes she said it means "silly person", like when you make a simple mistake..." she looked knowingly at Telford.

"I'm sorry Te'arly, I didn't mean to laugh at you for something you didn't know about" Telford humbly replied.

An hour later, O'Neill called all of them to his conference chamber.

"I trust all is well with your quarters; is there anything else you require?"

"No Commander, everything is fine" replied Everett

"Please, call me O'Neill" the Asgard seemed to have a softer approach to these talks.

Birateni entered the room with the door closing quickly behind him "My apologies for being late O'Neill, a small issue remains with the Ur'torina drive stabilization dampeners."

Everett looked at David who had no idea either "Is that how you can travel across the universe so fast?"

O'Neill lifted the veil of secrecy and explained in an untechnical way "The wormhole drive we have helped create with the Ursini uses negative matter energy or what you know as Dark Matter or Anti Matter. We still have some minor issues stabilizing the anti matter collector, although we have overcome the problem that nearly caused the collision with Destiny."

Birateni took over "We believe that a minor malfunction in the wormhole generator circuit caused the guidance system to lock onto a power source during re-entry, the nearest one at the time was Destiny herself at our destination. We also believe that the unusual magnetic field around the planet Destiny used as an aero breaking manoeuvre, caused havoc with the same system as the wormhole began to open. We have now shielded the systems from this type and other anomalies. Again, I apologise for our error" Birateni seemed disappointed at their mistake.

Everett smiled "All new systems have teething problems; no one is perfect, no matter what race were from." He gave them a moment before continuing, "Is that what you needed to explain to us?"

O'Neill began again "Not all. We will be allowing Ur'torina drives to go into the new Enterprise class vessels, giving them an unparalleled speed to cross the universe in short time spans. As I have said the journey from Destiny to Earth will be completed in less than 60 hours. Our normal ships would take more than a month; the drive bends time and space more than we have ever had the technology too before."

Telford shook his head "Wow, 60 hours... that's amazing; all because of anti matter?"

Birateni answered "Yes. If you think of the universe like a series of blankets of time and space; normal wormhole drives "make a tube" between the two points in space, then pulls it together to shorten the distance. This allows a ship to just pass through. Our drive "lifts the fabric" before shortening it; in effect we travel in-between the layers of time/space fabric if you like, which has the effect of almost zero time. The time it takes to travel is but a fraction of what it used to require; I believe in years to come, this will too be reduced to minutes not hours. We also found that it has a similar effect and glow that the FTL drive on Destiny gives."

He took a breath before continuing. "There was no other power source with enough energy to do it; hence why it uses antimatter, which is abundant within the folds of space. Our race has worked on this for a thousand years, and thanks to some assistance from the Asgard we had a break through."

Everyone was impressed with Telford saying "What happens if it goes wrong?"

Birateni had the answer "In the unlikely event the drive fails, the safety override will open a wormhole exit in the nearest safe place; so you don't end up inside a star or planet. Space is vast, and it is like all ship drives; failure is a calculated risk that is very close to zero."

Everett sat there just going over what had been said by Birateni; the Ursini commander was more scientist than engineer, but either way he had made it sound so simple among the incredible complexity of moving through space and time.

"It's almost like time travel..." said Everett

Birateni's eyes smiled "Not quiet, but where working on it..."

* * *

><p>David and Everett had some time to check out the new drive and the old seed ship with its upgraded AsgardUrsini decor that resembled an Asgard science vessel. The caught up like old friends, but when David questioned him about Castell and his technology, Everett still kept most of it too himself. His mind always rang with the warnings of abuse of the power and knowledge, contained in the Valeyian databank now installed on Destiny.

It wasn't long before they finally dropped out of a somewhat different version of hyperspace; Everett and Te'arly were standing on the bridge and for the first time in many years he saw his home planet in all its glory from space.

"Wow, it's a beautiful world honey...is that what mine would look like?" said Te'arly

"It sure is...I would say your home world looks something akin to that; most life supporting planets do look similar." Everett took in the view as the seed ship closed in at sublight speed before slowing to a crawl "Hard to believe there are seven billion people living down there..."

Suddenly the sensors detected another wormhole opening up with a new Enterprise Class vessel appearing from a test flight. While everyone watched Everett spotted the international space station as the seed ship past by within several hundred metres; two space walking astronauts gave the ship a wave as they crept slowly past while the other crew from inside took pictures and waved madly. Telford was behind them;

"We're becoming the worst kept secret; they want the people to know there not alone in the universe. The space station crew have been informed about our own ships by their governments; we have personally beamed aboard and explained about the Asgard, Nox, Ancients, Jaffa, Ursini, and even the Wraith. They are under orders not to leak out too much info, but Earth has become a hub of intergalactic travel and we just can't hide it anymore. As you can imagine, the UFO theorists are having a field day with whatever telescope they can lay their hands on; footage of Asgard science ships have even made main stream media, it had to happen sooner or later."

"What's Uncle Sam's position?" asked Everett

"Not to confirm or deny at this point; the President has been speaking with every free nation and some that aren't on how to finally go public without mass hysteria. For now, most of the population is just getting on with life as usual unaware of what is happening."

Everett, who was now back in a new uniform thanks to the Asgard, looked at David "I have no idea how they are going to pull this off...I mean, a single person would be able to except it after a short period; just look at Eli. A whole race isn't going to be as easy about it though; maybe they should just park one of our new ships in front of the White House or something..."

Telford smiled "Funny you should mention that; it has been suggested. There is a similar idea going around to unveil an Enterprise Class vessel at Area 51 in front of the media; a lot of people believe where've had help from aliens and their technology, we might as well just come out and show them how much."

Laughing he added in a more accurate way "The government has assembled delegates from the world's best marketing and advertising agencies, given them the facts with a very real visit to one of the X303's and a new Enterprise Class ship; they have asked them to come up with a way to sell it to the public around the world with limited negative effects. One suggestion that may seem ridiculous has a lot of merit; make a reality TV show about the construction of a ship at Area 51, in real time. This will include people fitting alien technology components live on TV for the masses; if they think it's just fake, we'll have a surprise for them. We are going to open a viewing stand to the construction site so they can see it is real."

Their conversation was interrupted by O'Neill "It is time to go down to the conference in ten minutes; please ensure you are ready."

Everett nodded his head as he looked at the one person whom he now trusted with his heart, "Are you ready?"

Te'arly looked a little nervous "I'm ok babe; a little scared but ok..." she squeezed his hand

"You're a strong warrior darling...you'll be fine" assured Everett as a flash of light filled the bridge.

In the next instant they were standing in General O'Neill's office "Welcome back General Young, nice to see you're back in the uniform; you must be Te'arly" Jack walked to her and held out his hand.

Te'arly shook his hand saying "It is an honour to meet another great warrior, General O'Neill"

Jack mused, "Warrior...not the way I would describe it, but still I have had my fair share of off world battles. These days it seems to be more paperwork than anything" Jack gave her a smile now understanding fully why Everett didn't want her to leave.

The door opened and an attractive young lady dressed in fatigues walked in and stood to attention, saluting the superior officers in the room; "General O'Neill, General Young, Colonel Telford, Ma'am, I am Corporal Jane Briggs, Stargate Liaison Officer. I am here to offer assistance to any off world personal."

Jack introduce Te'arly "This is Te'arly from the Artá people in Destiny's current galaxy; she may require your assistance with a few things."

Te'arly shook her hand with a firm grip, but Cpl. Briggs didn't falter and squeezed with the same pressure back "It is nice to meet you Jane" Te'arly glanced at Everett for confirmation that all was well and seeing him nod, she relaxed her grip.

Jane asked if there was anything she needed; Te'arly had a simple straight forward answer "I need to pee..."

Under the stargate liaison protocol Cpl. Brigg's had the ability to do all sorts of non military activities when with a guest of the planet. This included the simplest things like explaining how to use the bathroom facilities to going shopping for goods and clothing. Outside of Cheyenne Mountain she would be dressed as a civilian and drive a normal everyday vehicle to "blend in" with her guest wherever possible. With what was coming, this may give rise to a completely new tourist industry for intergalactic travellers; for now they were lucky Te'arly was human.

"We have a couple of hours to debrief gentlemen, so I suggest we get started" said Jack in a more military manner, leading the way to a private conference room.

Back on Destiny Eli and Nick were putting their teachings from the Valeyians to good use, examining the new data core. So far they had unlocked several key areas of data, mainly concerned with medical knowledge and engineering principles. They knew that inside that core somewhere was the Valeyian equivalent to the keys of the universe; unbeknown to them it was quiet safe inside without the now small key that Castell had shrunk down for Everett to conceal. The two of them had massive amounts of data to search through; scanning the screens in front of them for greater knowledge, Eli suddenly stopped in his tracks:

"Holy shit...I think I've found something!" he said observing the screen

"Well, are you going to make me guess boy genius; or tell me?" a sarcastic Nick replied

"Um...it's a vaccine for my mom's disease; and a cure!" Eli's jubilation was electric as a tear rolled down his cheek. "It was right here at the start of everything..."his joy suddenly gave way to scepticism; "Wait a minute, why would this be so close to the start of the medical data...it should have been buried much...further...down?" he trailed off trying to understand the reason for it.

"Eli, remember what these people are capable of..." Nick softened his words "Maybe it's not the core; have you considered it might be _you_ causing that to happen?" he let it sink in for a moment. "These people have a deep understanding of feelings and emotions; it is very possible that what you have found is more a subconscious thought and longing, rather than the core giving a random selection." Nick put his hand on Eli's shoulder and gave it a brotherly rub; "Either way, it is good news; we should be able to send the data by subspace to Earth."

Their thoughts were interrupted by the gate alarm sounding an incoming wormhole; Lt. Scott and MSgt. Greer were at the ready with several men, locked and loaded. The vortex swept in and out stabilizing; once again a lone unarmed figure appeared through the event horizon.

"Greetings Matt and Ronald please don't shoot me; it will make a terrible mess on the floor!" Castell laughed boisterously as they lowered their weapons.

"Man you gotta stop doin' that; we have no idea who or what is about to come through..." said Greer.

"Fear not my good Sergeant, very few gates have the power to dial Destiny in FTL; and the others can't afford the bill!" he chuckled away infectiously as some of the now hardened soldiers of Destiny couldn't help but follow. "Lieutenant Scott, I am sorry to turn up unannounced but I'm most curious about this conference on Earth; I believe I should attend..."

Matt looked at him with a glare "You do know we can't dial Earth right?" he said.

"Nonsense, of cause Destiny can dial Earth...It's just that you guys can't use the gate to dial Earth, I'm not one of you..."

Matt had an idea as he bounced a look off Greer "Ok, if you're going through to Earth could we ask a favour?"

"Of course...just name it" said Castell without a care.

"We have three men that need to be returned home, if that is possible..." Matt waited for his response, to find a very sombre and compassionate one.

Castell's smile disappeared as he looked Matt squarely in the eyes with the utmost compassion; "It would be my honour to guard their journey home for you; thank you for your trust in me. Please bring them..." he may have had a humorous outlook on life but the Valeyians took passing with the highest honour;

For the men and women who have given their life protecting the free will of others is beyond all reproach:

Especially a soldier...

* * *

><p>*Dedicated to the fallen Australian, US, and other international soldiers in Afghanistan; my heart goes out to your families and loved ones*<p>

Lest We Forget

_All __that __is __necessary __for __evil __to __triumph __is __that __good __men __do __nothing _(Burke and various authors)


	16. Chapter 16

Wishing everyone a happy new year for 2012. The next chapter should be about two weeks away... enjoy.

SGU s03 e16

Conference

Lt. Mathew Scott stood at attention; his rifle held vertically with the muzzle at face level, in a weapons salute. Castell held the stretchers at waist height, in front of the stargate with the power of his mind. MSgt Ronald Greer was also in a weapons salute along with all the other military personal in the gate room, forming a Guard of Honour as Castell waved the gate to life with his hand. Breaking the silence, he said with precision;

"Lt. Matt Scott, please inform the SGC of our intentions."

Breaking his salute, Matt pushed the buttons on his IDC and contacted Stargate command; "This is Lieutenant Matt Scott aboard Destiny in the Valeyian Galaxy. We have three of our fallen coming home along with a Valeyian called Castell; could you please organize a collection detail immediately, over."

The answer that came back was surprising "Well I'll be...Lt. Scott, this is Lt Col. Cameron Mitchell, and how many of your crew are coming through?"

"Good to hear your voice again Sir; none of the crew are allowed through only our fallen and Castell. That's a rule we can't break Sir, no matter what."

Cameron shook his head "Well, I don't understand but that goes for a lot of things around here...opening the iris; they're free to travel through Lieutenant, Mitchell out"

"Thank you Sir..." said Matt as he nodded to Castell.

The three fallen soldiers soon appeared through the event horizon at SGC hovering at waist height, followed by a man dressed in a gold robe; his hands were outstretched beside him, his eyes closed.

He spoke in a soft timber of respectful voice "I am Castell of the Valeyians; I have been charged with the keeping of the fallen for their journey back to Earth, their home; who taketh these men from my keep?"

* * *

><p>"I am Lt Col. Cameron Mitchell of Stargate Command" he looked for the right words "I will uphold their keep" and hoped they were it.<p>

Mitchell motioned the waiting party to collect the stretchers; as they took hold Castell slowly released their weight to the bearers. The men draped in the flag of their country, were carefully taken to the morgue with military precision and respect. Once alone with Cameron, Castell sighed and opened his eyes saying;

"I am sorry for your losses Lt Col. Mitchell, and I was honoured to be chosen by Lt. Scott for their care; my people have the highest regard for any passing, especially our children."

Cameron didn't quite know how to take this man before him so he asked somewhat confused "What do you mean by _our children_?"

"Col. Mitchell,_ all humans_ are our children, we are your ancestors and have been for over 470 million years" Castell's mood suddenly went back to his happy self as he smiled at Cameron's innocence; in an upbeat tone he then asked; "Now where is this meeting I've heard so much about?"

"Hang on their Castell...I can't just let you walk into a meeting like that; you haven't been invited" Mitchell was quiet pleasant, but forceful in his response.

Castell stood there smiling at him; "Hum...ok, may I please go to the meeting Col. Mitchell?"

"Please Castell, I can't let you..." Cameron smiled back "please don't ask again"

"Very well Col. Mitchell..." and with that a smiling Castell clapped his hands together and vanished; he reappeared by the exit door of the gate room, turned and waived, then walked straight through the door like it didn't exist.

Cameron turned on his heal in frustration "God damn it; here we go again." Grabbing his radio he squawked "All personal; there is a man on the loose by the name of Castell. I don't think he's dangerous but please use caution stopping him; he'll be headed toward the conference room, Mitchell out."

A moment passed before a crackle on the radio came back; "Col. Mitchell, this is General O'Neill; he's here already, stand down Cameron its ok, we know who he is."

Cam threw his hands in the air; "How the hell did he do that?" he said in frustration looking at the solid door.

In the Conference room all the races had convened; Asgard, Nox, Ancients, Furlings, along with the Tau'ri. Also present were the Ursini High Commanders Ra'toli and Birateni; of course Castell had made an "appearance" in his comical manor. Everett was waiting for him to turn it into a comedy show, but Castell held great restraint and relaxed; turning the seat backwards he sat forwards leaning on the low back next to General Young.

General O'Neill was about to speak when Castell decided to get in first "Maybe some introductions will break the ice...General"

Jack glared at him "I was gona do that; thanks Castell..."

"Opps...sorry General O'Neill" as he slumped back into his seat and made a zipper sign across his mouth; Everett tried hard not to laugh.

Jack rose again and cleared his throat softly "Welcome everyone to Earth; some of you may not know who everyone is so I will go around the table." Jack had been briefed on who's who and introduced them in turn; "This is Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard with High Commanders D.J and O'Neill; next to them are Ursini High Commanders Ra'toli and Birateni; next we have the Lady of the Ascended and Lya of the Nox who will preside over this meeting. Also here is Jason from the Ascended Furlings" he looked at Castell who looked at him with fluttering puppy dog eyes; "And Castell of Valeya." Jack waited anxiously for Castell to do something annoying, but instead he winked an "Ok...I behave myself" look.

He then introduced the Tau'ri present "This is Dr Daniel Jackson, Colonel Samantha Carter, General Hank Landry, General Everett Young, Colonel David Telford, Colonel Chekov, and from the IOA Richard Woolsey, and Shen Xiaoyi."

Lya stood and recognized Thor "Supreme Commander Thor you may start."

"Greetings to all; we are here to discuss the Tau'ri's acceptance as the fifth race in the Milky Way Galaxy. We have watched them develop and traded technology with them for many years now; they have proven themselves worthy and understanding of the responsibility bestowed, by becoming the fifth."

Lya looked at Jack "General O'Neill may stand"

Jack stood: "Thank you for your kind words Supreme Commander Thor; we hope to continue our positive relationships with all who have attended this meeting today" he sat down again.

Thor continued "How has your government decided to explain the existence of other life in the galaxy and universe, General O'Neill?"

Jack looked at Woolsey who gave him a look of "I don't know yet"; "We have a collective of our best advertising people, psychologist, scientist, astronauts, religious leaders, and even science fiction writers assisting us with the best way to inform the general public. We believe that one way to do this is with a live documentary, on building one of the new Enterprise Class ships at Area 51; the public will be allowed to view the construction on a live broadcast, or in person at a viewing stand. We feel that a mass announcement would cause panic throughout the world; but I am open to suggestions."

Castell stood before being recognised, but continued anyway "Are you scared there will be a religious panic or mass hysteria by your fellow man? Have you even considered that many Tau'ri probably would just accept it and get on with their day?" he asked with a playful smile

Lya politely scolded him "Please Castell, this is very serious for the Tau'ri; I understand why you ask, but this is not your galaxy. May you refrain from any future comment at these talks" knowing she was powerless against his abilities, and his comedic behaviour.

"Yes Ma'am!" he saluted her; "Sorry Jack, I'll try and shut up"

Jack was getting pissed off at this point "Please do..." he retorted sarcastically.

Everett looked at his friend with a hint of a smile and put his finger to his own lips "Shhhh! please" he said quietly; Castell reluctantly nodded.

* * *

><p>D.J stood and asked "General O'Neill, why do you believe the idea of a documentary may work?"<p>

Jack thought about how to answer "Well...the collective feel that the best market to start acceptance with is our younger generation, particularly as they tend to use new social media's available today to communicate. On mass they tend to accept changes, especially in technology, far more rapidly than the older generations. If they are introduced to alien technologies today, it would become common place mainstream tech within the younger communities in months."

Castell was tempted to clap but Everett caught him and placed his hand over Castell's with a look of "no".

Everett stood to make a point "Young Eli Wallace had no idea about the stargate, other races, or intergalactic ships for that matter; yet his acceptance of his own circumstances was taken with relative ease after a few days. This is one of the reasons we feel that the younger generation should be informed first; they do accept change to the _normal_ far quicker than those set in their ways."

Lya looked at the Ascended Lady "You wish to comment?"

"What is your feeling Dr Daniel Jackson...do you agree with this way of discloser?"

Daniel had some different views, but did see merit in what they were saying "I don't know that there is any one way to tell people; there is a good point made in the fact that the younger generation do accept the unusual better than older people. I believe it is of the utmost importance to make people feel safe; we don't want them believing we're being invaded from outer space. It is within our human history of how the different continents were discovered on the planet; to those indigenous people, white explorers and settlers must have looked like aliens at the time. Many people today are starting to believe that other life exists outside of our own planet; the more we learn in general about the stars and other galaxies, the more likely most people feel that were not just a singular anomaly in the universe."

He kept standing until the Lady of the Ascended asked "You have more to add Dr Jackson?"

Daniel took a breath for a moment and put his hand to his chin as though he was stroking a beard; "The biggest issue I can see is the extremist leftwing, rightwing throughout the world; some of them today won't even accept that the Earth is around four billion years old. It would be naive to think we will get out of this without a scratch; someone somewhere will try to disprove everything as a hoax, and say the sky is falling. My biggest concern is that it doesn't start a war between nations; how will some of the "restricted" nations handle all this?"

"But Daniel, you are not asking them to disregard their faith or beliefs...only to see the truth that has never been seen before" said Jason of the Furlings.

Daniel continued "Yes that's true; but when the Ori were exposed to the truth, many that followed Origin became lost without it. Humans here have created deep seeded beliefs that are to some, unshakable; others have a more adjustable philosophical view that would accept change easier. People in general don't really trust politicians and governments to do the "right thing" and would be sceptical of any announcement, by any government that other races exist; especially in western society."

Castell finally opened his mouth again; "I'd go with the first idea, reality TV sounds like fun..."

Lya smiled at Castell and shook her head "Obviously you would...please continue Dr Jackson"

"I believe maybe the first move should be to admit the truth about the crash at Roswell in the 1950's, and reveal all military documentation uncensored on the internet in public domain; start with a simple truth and then go from there..." Daniel sat back down again

Lya motioned to Jason; the Furlings had not been involved with Earth like the Asgard and Ancients, but they had been involved with their share of human worlds before the Tau'ri.

Jason Began; "You seem to have some ideas with merit against a very difficult situation; Dr Jackson is correct in saying the transition will cause some upheaval. However there is another way: Using your new technology to rectify some of the atmospheric conditions around Earths best telescopes, with some minor "enhancements" they will be able to see other planets around nearby stars. Your own scientist would then make the discovery of inhabitable planets outside of your own solar system, giving even more credibility to some of the other ideas suggested" Jason winked at Daniel as he sat down.

Lya asked "Supreme Commander Thor, does this satisfy your question?"

"Yes; we believe the Tau'ri will find a peaceful solution"

Lya shifted her gaze to Ra'toli "High Commander Ra'toli you may have the table"

He stood and placed his bony hands on the table and looked around the room; we looked as strange to the Ursini as they did to us: "I am authorised to proceed with the sharing of the Ur'torina Drive to be installed in the new Enterprise class ships. This will give the Tau'ri / Asgard vessels unequivocal distance crossing in the universe; we know that one of these ships could intercept Destiny within a few Earth days." A murmur was heard as some of the Tau'ri tried to understand how it was possible.

"We will provide technical detail on the drive to Colonel Carter and her team, which will enable them in turn to teach the technology to others. Ur'torina is Ursini for Dark Matter so feel free to use which ever you prefer."

Ra'toli took a moment before continuing with the darker news: "There is a situation that has risen involving the theft of some prototype plans of the drive by the Lucian Alliance; although the drive will work, they failed in getting the upgraded data correcting the issues that caused several malfunctions. One of great concern is that of the guidance system being adversely affected by a defect in the wormhole generator circuit, causing it to lock onto the nearest power source when opening; this is the same situation that occurred with Destiny" Ra'toli remembered the look on Eli's face as he praised him for his actions.

Jack's eyes rolled as he came to terms with what had happened with a big sigh; "You wish to say something General O'Neill?" asked Lya

"Yes...how did that happen...exactly?" he asked

Ra'toli lifted his hands and shoulders in a shrug; "I am sorry General O'Neill; although we are more advanced, we still have some crime that occasionally happens. In this case one of the scientists was killed for it, after being kidnapped; he was one of the lead team in designing the drive, we have since found out that the Lucian Alliance was behind it all. We don't know his name; just that he is an evil human who left a trail of death along his path. I know several of our investigation team were also killed trying to intercept him; he is very cunning and well trained."

Jack could see Ra'toli had been personally touched by the event, but didn't pry to that side of it offering instead: "Would you like some of our personal to assist in your efforts to track him down? We still have various criminal issues on Earth, and many highly trained people to deal with this area."

"What can you offer General O'Neill?" asked Ra'toli

"Well..."he looked at the men sitting beside him "We have certain people that maybe...um...hiding within the Lucian Alliance ranks, feeding us information about...everything, except for this. Do you have any idea on how the Lucian Alliance got to your galaxy in the first place?" as Jack waved his hand around in a circle.

"They didn't; they boarded us while in the Milky Way Galaxy on test trials. A ship put out a distress call and we went to assist; it was a well planned attack and we believe one of our own was involved." Ra'toli sat down still angry about the whole incident. "Thank you for your offer; we will discuss it after the meeting" he added.

Lya gave the room to Asgard O'Neill

"General O'Neill there is a sensitive issue I wish to discuss..."

* * *

><p>Jack sat at the table and looked at the faces around him, then nodded "Ok...let's discuss it"<p>

Asgard O'Neill continued "As you know we have had some difficulty with our cloning techniques; in particular the ability to create our original form. We require some assistance from the Tau'ri to continue our research."

Jack nodded and politely asked "What do you need from us?"

Asgard O'Neill was direct as always "We require multiple batches of human embryos and eggs from many different gene pools."

Jack raised an eyebrow "Human embryos and eggs...ok; I'm afraid to ask but what are you going to do with them?"

Asgard O'Neill didn't change his demeanour "To recreate our race in the correct anatomical form, with full reproductive capacity. We will need to grow the embryos as vegetated units ready for a consciousness to be uploaded when matured."

Jack swayed gently in his chair as Castell looked to him and shrugged his shoulders saying "Curly one there Jack...opps...General O'Neill."

Jack's look said it all but his words were clear "Perhaps we should discuss this after the meeting...in private; there a few other issues to resolve first."

The Asgard bowed slightly "Very well General O'Neill, we will continue this later."

Lya stood "This matter will be solely between the Asgard and Tau'ri, with no further discussion here. Supreme Commander Thor shall we continue with the objective?"

Castell put his hand up like a child bursting to give an answer at school; Lya recognised him but warned "Stay on track Castell, and 2 minutes only."

He leapt up and started at Daniel "Dr Jackson, do you remember anything from when you were ascended?"

Daniel shook his head "Some patchy stuff but my memory was wiped clean as a punishment"

"Do you remember becoming ascended...you know when you died and all that...stuff?" Castell smiled

Daniel smiled back at him wondering why he asked "No, not really...why you asking?"

"Well...becoming ascended is something that you just can't do without a lot of...preparation. How long do you think you prepared for ascension, or did it just happen?"

Jack stood up "Castell, where are you going with this...what has any of this _got_ to do with Daniel?" he asked frustrated.

Castell fired passionately back "Jack, it has everything to do with this...do you honestly think that all of a sudden you're the fifth race? Haven't you guys learnt it yet... it's not the "Way Too" it is the _Way Of_ the fifth race, you my friends are already there..."

"_You are the fifth race and have been for some time_;"

"Look who is sitting before you offering technology and asking for your help to make babies; would they ask this if you didn't meet the mark, of course not!"

Jack looked down at the table and then up at Thor "Is he right?"

Thor looked down and bowed "Yes General O'Neill; the Tau'ri have become the Fifth Race of the Milky Way Galaxy; from this point forward all technologies will be shared, and the treaty shall be made effective immediately."

Castell and Jack sat back down; Everett turned to Castell "Is that why you came here...to help?"

Castell put his hand on Everett's shoulder and gave it a squeeze "We're family my son; and that comes first..." a huge infectious smile broke across his face, followed by Everett's. "Now once this is over, we'd better go see what mischief that girl of yours has got into..."

* * *

><p>The meeting continued on for another two hours with everyone having a say on what would eventuate from now. There were to be more ships built with new unparalleled technology, some of which Castell himself had offered in shielding and weapons; his only request: that a team was formed to deal with the remaining Ori, and stop them from taking over anymore innocent populations. The logistics of this would prove to be more difficult than first thought; there was also the issue of the Wraith in the Pegasus Galaxy that would need attention. The first order was to assist the Ursini in tracking down the Lucian Alliance member who had stolen the Ur'torina Drive technology, and free any planets within the Milky Way Galaxy forced to join them.<p>

The tasks at hand were excessively immense to be simply run by the SGC and IOA; more soldiers, civilians, governments, and other world allies would be needed to bring stabilization to the Milky Way Galaxy. The issue of the Ori affected nearly any galaxy they came across, which could mean that many worlds not yet technically advanced may need to be assisted for their own survival. It wasn't long before the task at hand was becoming extremely universal, and beyond our own galaxy. The responsibility of the Fifth race would come at an incredible cost to Earth's current way of life; which had now changed forever for mankind.

The Ascended Ancients were now free of their non-interference law with the humans, and would share their technology and even ascension for those of good character who desired it. This also meant they could retake human form and live among our race. The Asgard and Furlings would install devices to clean Earth's atmosphere and oceans from all pollutions; new clean energy generation techniques like Ur'torina generators would be used instead of coal or nuclear power, with the help of advanced alien technologies. Over the next few months shockwaves would travel through the population, as they had no choice but to come to terms with what was going to happen; everyone seated at the table knew that this would be the biggest hurdle to overcome. They had to find a way to limit any upheaval or violence; one thing that was offered by the Asgard was detection, interception, and protection against any rouge nuclear strike by missile or by hand.

The last thing at the table was a simple question by Everett "Does this mean we can open the gate on Destiny to Earth and allow those who wish to come home?"

The Ascended Lady stood and finally introduced who she really was "Everett, _I am Lady Destiny_; your people are on _my_ ship... I was the Ancient who discovered the order behind the chaos; after some heated debate, Destiny was created to explore it and other worlds beyond this galaxy. Your people are free to leave if they wish...But I do hope that some of you want to stay and continue to explore the universe. I'm sure Castell would also want you to head the exploration and protection of the innocent against the Ori in other galaxies; Destiny has a new Commander now, and she has taken a shine to her human crew, and so have I..."

Castell smiled at Everett and Jack "Let's bring them home shall we?"

Jack came out with one more question "Sounds good, but we still can't dial Destiny from Earth so I guess it's only a one way trip?"

Castell looked over at Ra'toli; "Commander Ra'toli, would you like to explain?"

Ra'toli stood and looked Jack over, nodding slightly "We have an antimatter generator that can supply more than enough power to dial any galaxy you wish; where would you like it?"

Jack's face beamed at the thought "Where ever you believe it would be best suited...Thank you Commander" and with that the meeting adjourned.

Jack caught up with Everett on the way out and pulled him aside "The funerals will be held tomorrow if you want to stay another day..."

Everett nodded "Yeah, I will; they died protecting us...all of them; that's the least I can do. Have their families been notified?"

A sombre looking General O'Neill replied "They were informed when you first reported it, along with the fact it may take some time to return them home due to the nature of their assignments... I'm glad Castell was able to bring them back."

"Me too Jack, me too" Everett's thoughts were on the men lost under his command on both Destiny, and Icarus Base; he was thankful that some were able to finally come home.

Around an hour later, Everett was talking with Emily and David catching up on how her family was; there were no hard feelings about either situation, and she had been made fully aware of Te'arly's relationship with him after Col. Telford's last "visit" to Destiny. Appearing around the corner was a well dressed man who looked like the "men in black", with a long goatee beared and dark sunglasses; he was followed in toe by two women, both stylishly dressed for an evening on the town. Te'arly scurried up to Everett in heels and tight dress, throwing her arms around his neck and planting a decent kiss on his cheek.

Everett hugged her back and looked at Castell who had his arm around Cpl. Briggs's waist; placing a finger to his lips he said "Shhhh...Don't tell my wife..." he laughed and let go of Jane's waist, allowing her to return to her office and promptly introduced himself to Emily; taking her hand and kissing it gently; "My name is Castell from Valeya."

Before Emily could speak Castell hopped back up and rested an Elbow on Everett's shoulder looking at Te'arly and Cpl. Briggs. "Pretty hot don't you think?" Everett just shook his head as David tried to make sense of this clown from another world in front of him. He shifted his gaze to David "Col. Telford; you have some friends who speak very highly of you...made quite an impression on the Ursini; has you wife met with Commander Ra'toli yet?"

Telford stuck to the military line "Um, no she doesn't have the clearance to meet them"

Everett could see what was going to happen a mile away and looked to Emily "You know all those aliens you see on TV shows...be prepared to meet them...he won't take no for an answer..."

In the next moment, both D.J and Ra'toli walked out of the room at Castell's telepathic request, and introduced themselves to Emily and Cpl. Briggs. Emily's hands shook as Ra'toli gently reached out to her saying;

"It's ok, you look as strange to us as we do to you, Emily" as he shook her hand softly.

D.J was very diplomatic toward them all "I understand it is a shock for you to meet beings from other worlds that look very different from humans; long ago our race had similar physical form. You should be proud of the men that stand before you; together they have helped save many lives on other worlds, and your own."

Emily wasn't sure what to say or how to even react; she looked at David who nodded knowingly at what D.J had said, then she replied "Thank you; I am proud of both of them."

Ra'toli looked at D.J "Commander, it is time..." and with that a flash of white light engulfed the hallway as the Asgard and Ursini commanders beamed back to their respective ships.

* * *

><p>Emily sat there opened mouthed before finally saying "Where did they go?"<p>

David sat beside her "Do you remember the old TV show Star Trek... you know the line, "beam me up Scotty"?" Emily nodded; "Well...that was it; for real..."

To take Emily's mind off what had happened, Te'arly introduced herself openly; "Hello Emily, I am Te'arly…" as she gently shook her hand.

Emily cast a quick glare at Everett before answering her "It's nice to meet you Te'arly; that's a very nice outfit you're wearing…" Everett detected a hint of jealousy in her tone.

Te'arly was a very intelligent woman and played down Emily's comment replying "Thank you, we do not have any such clothing from where I am from…"

Emily had to ask "And where are you from Te'arly?"

"I come from the Artá people in the Valeyain Galaxy, across the other side of the universe" to be honest, the Artá had never named their galaxy; Castell gave her a wink for her quick thinking.

General O'Neill walked down the hallway and looked at the bazar quartet before him of Everett, David, Te'arly, and Emily…and then there was that strange but happy Castell, who he walked up to and asked professionally "Castell, could I see you in my office…please; um, no tricks this time."

Castell put on his diplomatic front "Of course General, I will behave" and walked off with him.

David looked at Everett "What's that all about?"

He replied "I have no idea, but with Castell it could be anything…"

Telford smiled "He is a strange one alright…unbelievable technology and abilities, but he acts like a clown."

Everett could understand his reaction saying "I hope you get to visit their planet before it is gone, they are the most sincere, kind, and philosophical people I have ever had the honour to meet; he will tell you that happiness is the key to life, and I'm starting to see why."

David nodded but his eyes said he didn't yet understand what his friend had just told him; he changed the subject "The funerals will be at ten tomorrow; I assume you will be attending?"

Everett gave a nod "They were under my command, and died saving my crew; I'll be there…" He looked at Te'arly as Corporal Briggs returned, still dressed for a night out.

"Are you ready Te?" she asked Te'arly in a happy tone, unaware of Everett's more sombre mood.

Te'arly looked at Everett and could see and sense the sadness behind his smile "I won't go if you don't want me too…" she placed her arm around his waist.

"No honey, its fine really…but be careful out there; a lot of guys will try and take advantage of you…make sure you stay near Corporal Briggs, Earth has some nasty people too" he was concerned, but wanted her to enjoy the experience. "Oh, don't have too much alcohol…remember what happened last time…" he smiled at her and cuddled Te'arly into him "I love you."

Castell appeared around the corner "Sorry I'm late, I couldn't let these two girls go on the town without me…" he turned to Everett with a serious look "I will protect them with my life Ev; have no fear."

"You better; or I'll kill you…" Everett gave him a nod of implicit trust; he knew Castell was a man of his word.

Across the other side of the universe plans were in place that would test the courage of Destiny's crew and Everett's judgment; they had failed once in taking Destiny, and learnt from their lessons. However, there was one man of the Lucian Alliance who even they feared themselves; he had made the journey with help from technology stolen from the Ursini and Asgard. He was unfazed by the lives he'd taken while "acquiring" Ur'torina Drive plans;

And he was intent on taking Destiny for himself…


	17. Chapter 17

Hello People. Thanks for your support and comments. I am not far off writing season 4 which will be entered as a complete second story, with any luck I will start the first chapter in Febuary. I hope you enjoy the twists and turns in this one. Thanks

SGU s03 e17

Deception

On the Ha'taks ship renamed "Justice" an evil Lucian Alliance Commander Decca Traise sat in the war room, speaking with his team of "Generals" aka warlords;

"Our plan has been activated; Destiny would have picked up the Ori signature travelling in the opposite direction. By now the Tau'ri will know that there is an Ori warship to fear in this galaxy; but we'll continue with our plan until they find the nine glyph stargate planet."

"Commander Traise...why not just take them by force, they are weak against our attack; Destiny's failing shields will not stand up for long against our weapons; _we should act now!_" said one of the lower command Generals.

Decca got up out of his seat and casually walked over to his General; at 240 pounds his six foot four frame toned from hours of training, was menacing to anyone. In one swift move he grabbed the General by the throat, throwing him out of his seat and up against the wall; holding him up with one very strong hand choking his windpipe, Traise reiterated his message in a hard cold voice:

"_I am in command, and I give the orders;_ we will follow the plan: understand?"

With the warlord gasping for breath, Decca let him fall to his knees; walking around the table rubbing a large hand back over the top of his clean shaven cranium as he continued talking about the plan.

"We will stay out of sight as we have been for the last few weeks. The Ori are looking for planets to convert; I know General Young and his stowaways won't be able to help themselves, but to try and save any defenceless population from the Ori." He turned from his stroll and slammed his fist down on the table:

"Then we will strike!" his voice sending fear through the other warlords at the table. "We will board the ship with their help and take Destiny from the inside... We don't need to go through their shields" he said staring down the General with the hand mark around his neck.

* * *

><p>Commander Decca Traise was an evil son of a bitch for a human. He ruled his post with an iron fist and would kill anyone found to be insubordinate within his crew; no one knew of his past, all bar the fact the Jaffa had held him captive and tortured him for six long years for crimes against Ra. He ran the ship like the Nazi SS of WWII, with spies and counter spies amongst the crew and officers; being paranoid that everyone was out to kill him didn't help either. His mind was now cancerous from rage, pain, and hate; eroding any trace of decency or compassion away. The Jaffa had shown him no mercy torturing and killing his beloved wife and two young children in front of him, believing he was the leader of an uprising against Ra. Compared to the simple farmer he had been in his early twenties; such was the devastating effects of Ra's torture. As the free Jaffa had now aligned with the Tau'ri, he saw their emerging power as a threat...<p>

Back on Earth, General Everett Young stood at attention as the rain washed over the brim of his hat; three volleys' of seven shots rang out as his fallen men were laid to rest, each beside their other brother in arms. The rain on his face disguised the tears from the corner of his eyes, as he remembered their sacrifice for the protection of others; Everett was fully aware of the cost sometimes required for _free will_. Many before them had given their lives, and he knew for certain they would not be the last;

Freedom always comes at a cost...

In the back of the car Te'arly wrapped herself around Everett as he cried uncontrollably in private; could he have prevented their deaths, was there something he could have changed? All these things ran through his head as the tears dried up. Suddenly Castell appeared in the car with them;

"You did everything you could Ev, the men were well aware of the risks involved...they are soldiers my friend, and in the end they know what can happen. You must continue what you have now started; there are many worlds out there that will need protecting, even if they don't know it yet. You need to lead Destiny and explore the _incredible_ universe we all live in; I trust your judgment, and so do others around you. Have your moment of reflection and sadness, but move forward; there is much yet to do..." Castell tapped his hand on Everett's knee affectionately "You are a strong leader; have faith in your own abilities...we all do" and with that he disappeared.

A few hours later on Destiny, Eli was with Lt. Scott and Dr Rush trying to explain in simple terms some of the weapon designs held in their new Valeyian databank.

"From what we understand," said Eli "there is now two blasts from Destiny's main weapon against the Ori ships. It is like the first one creates a weak spot, allowing the second to fully penetrate their shields and cause the damage."

Matt nodded his understanding "So it would be like they have no shields...and go straight through?"

Nick picked up the answer "We're not exactly sure yet ourselves; some of what Robina taught us was too advanced to understand fully in the time we had. I have to say, if it works the way we believe it does..." he paused for a moment and looked at Eli's face filled with concern;

"It would be like a nuclear bomb was detonated from within the ship..."

Matt looked at their glum faces "But that's a good thing isn't it?"

Eli sarcastic answer said it all "If you don't mind killing maybe ten thousand people all at once including women and children..."

Matt suddenly realised what he meant; many Ori soldiers have their families on board with them;

"Then let's hope we don't have too..."

They were interrupted by the unmistakable sound of Yoda saying "Ringing, your phone is: answer you must!" Eli felt a vibration against him and realised his phone was ringing "What the..." he answered "Hello?"

"Eli, its General Young; how are you guys?"

"Oh yeah...subspace link; General Young were fine; how's Earth?"

"Huh, about the same Son...Eli would Lieutenant Scott be close by?"

"Actually General, he is right here with us...I'll put him on" Eli passed his phone to Matt.

"Yes General, how are you Sir?"

"I'm good Lieutenant; I wanted to thank you for sending our men through with Castell. I have just been to their funerals a few hours ago...Matt, I..." he took a calming breath "I spoke to their families after..."

Matt felt the losses all over again "Thank you Sir, wish I could have been there too."

Everett continued "Cpl. Reynolds mother asked me how he died...I couldn't look her in the eye and lie about it; I took her and her husband aside and explained what happened...in every detail."

Matt went silent on the phone "What...everything?"

A hurtful smile came over Everett's face "Yeah...the ship, planet, and Greer's actions...everything...I know it's a breach of security, I just couldn't lie anymore."

"General, did they believe you?"

"In the end...yes; but it did take a while. I told them that more of this will come out over the next few months; other worlds, aliens, and ships, all of it. One thing that will be done on their headstones is that they served on the Starship Destiny, and gave their life to save the crew..."

Matt sighed "Tough day huh?"

"Yes Lieutenant...I have some more news Matt...We are allowed to dial Earth. I want you to get everyone organised that wish to leave; Earth will have the ability to dial Destiny within another 24 hours, I will come home then...Let's get these people home Lieutenant..."

Matt stood proudly at attention "Yes Sir!"

"See you in a few hours..." and he gave the phone back to Eli as he looked at both of them smiling broadly;

"We have permission to dial Earth..."

* * *

><p>Before Lt. Scott made any announcement, he took the list from the mess and found Camille Wray alone in her quarters.<p>

Matt knocked on the door "Camille, it's Lt. Scott; may I come in?"

"Yes Lieutenant..." she answered sleepily.

"Ma'am I have good news; we have permission to open the gate to Earth..."

Camille snapped too; "What; how?"

"Things must have gone well at the conference...we can send people home who wish to leave; but there's more. Earth will be able to dial Destiny as well, and from what I understand it's ongoing." Matt still had a smile on his face.

Camille was lost for words; although she had chosen to stay onboard, the thought of being able to return to Earth was very tempting.

"Have you told anyone else yet Lieutenant?"

"No Ma'am, only Eli and Dr Rush were there when we got the call..."

"Call...we got a call...from whom?" she asked

"General Young used the subspace link to call Eli's phone...it was a bit strange really; but we have checked the gate CI and the restrictions are deleted..."

"Well what are you waiting for...announce it!" she said impatiently

"Ma'am, we have to go through the list and be certain no one has changed their mind. We don't know yet how much power it will take to move that many people, or how often we can dial; Rush and Eli are working on it..."

Camille could see where it was going "Ok Lieutenant, I understand; we need to call a meeting for everyone and explain what will happen."

"I'll get on it..." He left her room and headed toward the bridge.

Elsewhere on the ship Lisa Park was sitting on an infirmary bed next to the ships lab; T.J and Varro where doing her last eye test for a while.

Lisa asked "Well, how did I do?"

Tamara smiled broadly at her "If it had the words "made in China" on the bottom, you would be able to read it. For lack of a better word, they are perfect 20/20 vision!" T.J threw her arms around Lisa as the girls celebrated the return of her full sight to normal.

Letting go, Lisa stood and walked over to Varro "Thank you so much for helping...both of you." She reached up and hugged Varro, planting a small kiss on his cheek; "I mean it Varro, thank you..."

Varro smiled as she stepped back from him "You are most welcome Dr Park."

Amanda walked in smiling; "And that's not all" she looked at a slightly confused Varro; "Eli has found something for you T.J on the new database..." she waited for her reaction.

"Well, are you going to tell me?" she said with a smile

Amanda couldn't hold it any longer "He found a cure for A.L.S..."

Tamara stopped dead in her tracks as tears began to form in her eyes "He...he found a cure?" she asked shaking;

"Yes...he found the cure; Eli and Dr Rush have transferred the data to Destiny's medical library, we can start synthesizing it immediately" Amanda walked up to T.J and hugged her as their tears flowed freely...

Camille had caught up with Vanessa, stealing a few intimate moments while she was on duty to celebrate. Matt was on the bridge talking to Franklin and Brody, subconsciously running his fingers through Chloe's hair as he stood beside her; Ginn was sitting at the forward CI resting one hand on her now pronounced belly.

Matt finished what he was saying "Ok, here we go..." Chloe opened the com for him.

"Attention all personal, there will be a meeting in the gate room in ten minutes, Scott out."

* * *

><p>Back on Earth; only a day had passed since the meeting, but change was rapid. People from all over the world who were leaders in industry, science, infrastructure, engineers, IT professionals, and many others were contacted to attend a meeting in the United States, ordered by the President; "no" was not an acceptable answer, and some people took a lot of convincing that this was real. It would take several days to fly in some of the people in the more remote areas, before the meeting could start. They would be the first of the general public to be introduced to Earth's new intergalactic allies, and the awaiting technology; it had begun.<p>

Plans were now in place to add some Asgard and Ancient upgrades to the ALMA telescopes in Chile; this would allow vision of planets around nearby stars in our galaxy, two of which had human populations on Earth like worlds. It would be announced to the world that we had found life supporting planets outside of our own solar system; it was a place to start from, and would help to remove any doubt about the existence of other life. It was explainable in a straightforward manner; to produce an atmosphere of breathable oxygen, water convection and filtering would be required. Oceans, clouds, rain, energy from the sun, and plant life; mankind finally would get proof of life outside of our own planet, broadcast to the world on main stream media.

Everett and Te'arly were staying on base at the SGC; Castell was still there, for no real apparent reason although he had been in talks with General O'Neill that he kept private. He knocked on Everett's door;

"It's me...may I?" he asked in a light hearted tone.

"It's open..." said Te'arly.

Castell walked in and sat at the table; looking at both of them, Everett could see something behind his eyes and asked;

"What is it, Castell...you don't seem happy today?"

His face turned serious as he sighed "You know I love both of you very much, but I am afraid..."

"You don't strike me as the afraid type, what is it?" Asked Everett;

"Ev, one thing all Valeyians understand is that we _learn by living_; I know that you have a saying here that goes: _life doesn't always give you what you want; but it always gives you what you need_. It is difficult for me not to interfere and help everyone who needs help; but even more so when it is a friend."

Everett looked at Te'arly and back to Castell "I'm not sure I follow; what are you trying to tell me?"

Castell wanted to protect both of them but knew he couldn't; "I cannot tell you, and it pains me that I can't. All I can say is _trust yourself and your instincts, and have faith in your love for each other_. You will be proven right about something you said while staying with us; "the calm before the storm". Destiny will be in the eye of the hurricane my friend, and I cannot help you, no matter how much I want too."

Everett looked at the man in front of him, who he now trusted with his life; "I had a feeling something was coming, I probably could have used your help..." he smiled at Castell "I learned long ago that you can't win every battle; just so long as you win the war. Whatever it is we'll face..." he grabbed Te'arly's hand under the table "We will face it together..."

Castell stood as they followed, and moved around the table to them; he placed a kiss on Te'arly's cheek and gave Everett a hug "The gate is ready...let's go home..." he said solemnly.

As they arrived at the gate room Jack was standing there in his SG1 uniform; he watched as Everett smiled and nodded as he walked through the door;

"Come on, you don't expect me to just sit here and not check out this ship of yours...with my own eyes?" said Jack;

Everett laughed "Does this mean you're in charge Jack?"

"Hell no...From the sounds of it, she's your ship now..."

The ninth chevron locked as the gate sprang to life; Destiny dropped out of FTL as Matt readied his men. As the IDC was transmitted and Lt. Scott gave the ok, Jack looked at the three other people standing beside him; just like old times he thought to himself as they walked through the event horizon.

Lt Scott snapped to attention along with his men at the sight of General O'Neill in the gate room.

"At ease Lieutenant..." said Jack

"Sir welcome aboard Destiny, it's good to see you again General" said Matt

Castell walked up to Lt. Scott and held out his hand "Thank-you for your trust in me..."

Matt smiled "You're welcome...see you 'round sometime"

Castell turned around the room saying "Well ladies and Gentlemen I bid you good day...I believe my wife may think I've overstayed my welcome..." and waved the gate to life.

He caught Everett's eye as he was about to leave "Trust and love my friend...the keys to happiness" and with that he was gone.

Jack looked at Everett saying "He has got to be the most unusual alien I have ever met. Now, down to business; will you show me this damn databank he was raving about too me?"

"He told you hey? I figured that may have been what he spoke to you about..." he replied

"Well that and a few other things they may be willing to help with."Jack mused, then got serious "Everett, the only people who know about this is me and the people on this ship...and I think it would be best if it stayed that way for a while, don't you?"

"What about the ones who will go back" asked Everett?

"They will have to be debriefed and told to not talk about it to _anyone_"

People started to gather in the gate room who wished to leave; only a couple of them were military, the rest were civilians. Everett and Jack climbed the stairs and got everyone's attention.

Jack did the talking "No one here is under duress to remain, civilian or military; for those military personal; I'll even do the paperwork myself... There are no hard feelings about any of this; more importantly, we will have a rotating roster every three months if you so choose to want to come back. This goes for all personal; I understand that a lot of you wish to stay permanently, you will be offered leave if you so wish. Again this choice is yours alone to make...Dr Brody, please open the gate to Earth."

For the first time in Destiny's long life of travel through the universe, Earth was dialled.

The vortex stabilized and thirty eight people returned home; the Stargate closed after confirmation from SGC all were safe.

Jack looked at Everett "Well that takes care of that problem; let's go have a look at what I'm here for" and just like that, nearly half the crew had left Destiny for good.

* * *

><p>General O'Neill toured the ship starting with the bridge and ending at the Valeyian database, where Eli and Nick explained what they could about how much information was really there.<p>

He had become more casual with them and told them to call him Jack "So when they ascend, they're not leaving any of the technology behind; like the ancients did?"

Nick answered "Basically yes, that's correct; they won't ascend at the last minute, so they didn't want their technology to fall into the wrong hands after they leave"

Jack looked at everyone there "So they just decided to give it to us?"

Nick continued "I believe they know they can trust us; but that maybe why Castell warned about telling too many people for now. Out here on Destiny I guess they feel it is safe, being that we are only a handful of people; only one amongst us has the power to fully unlock all their technology inside."

Jack asked the obvious "Do you know who yet?"

Everett answered "We have been talking about who that could be and came up with three possible names; Eli, Chloe, maybe Amanda Perry. At best, it's just a guess."

Eli stepped in "General...Jack, um a lot of what we have found so far... we believe it may have more to do with our subconscious mind than actually what were looking for. I think this is why Castell said they'll know when the time is right; I don't believe we have much conscious control over it, apart from what we can already do."

Jack looked at young Eli the wiz kid "That does make sense; Atlantis has a lot of mind controlled devices too. That reminds me...can I talk to Destiny?"

Eli's had a huge grin on his face "Oh, yeah of course...just speak to her as you would to any of us."

"Ok" said Jack with his trademark dry smile "Um Destiny, this is General Jack O'Neill...um, it's nice to be able to finally come onboard. Oh, and thank-you for looking after everyone here; I'm sorry we landed onboard the way we did."

Suddenly the databank lit up; a holographic CI screen appeared beside Jack to everyone's surprise.

"Holy shit..."said Eli "How did we do that?"

A message came on the screen in English "You didn't Eli, I did. It is nice to meet you in person General O'Neill, and I was grateful for the company when the humans arrived. Is there anything else you wish to ask me?"

Although Jack was used to all kinds of technology, he couldn't recall anything like this "Are...um, ok, is it alright to dial Earth on a regular basis, and do you mind new crew coming onboard?" Jack looked at Everett feeling a bit strange; the reply didn't take long.

A schematic came on the screen along with several power readings, and some flashing areas of concern that Eli and Nick took a great interest in; and a message:

"I would prefer if you limited dialling Earth to only twice in any thirty day period. Loading on the power conduits will cause failure in several key gate systems if used excessively; my designer did not anticipate constant travel over immense distances. Short activations within any current galaxy will not affect the systems in the same manner. Any suitably screened new crew are welcome onboard subject to General Young's approval."

Jack nodded "Ok, thank-you Destiny"

A quick message appeared "You're welcome General O'Neill"

"She is very polite..." said Jack with a grin on his face as the hologram vanished.

Eli smiled remembering how he and Ginn were busted in the bridge.

Jack spent another three weeks on the ship talking, and exploring what he could in the time he had. Chloe had made a request that her mother be allowed to come to her and Matt's wedding; Jack agreed without hesitation, but warned that she would have to be onboard for maybe two or three weeks between dialling times. He wasn't concerned about the situation being that she already knew where Chloe really was, and had been informed of her intention to marry Lt. Scott.

Dr Volker, who had been keeping a very low profile out of Dr Rush's way, also had a question for the two Generals. Varro and T.J, with help from Amanda were running the final tests on the vaccine for the Artá people; it would be ready within days for human use. Dr Volker knew Te'arly would stay and not return, as she had discussed it with Matá several times; he didn't want to part with the love of his life either, and volunteered to take Te'arly's place. Besides, he also knew how to administer the vaccine and deal with any minor complications that may arise. Everett was more than happy for the exchange; Dr Rush was jubilant...

* * *

><p>Chloe, Ginn, Franklin, and Adam were on the bridge chatting away about taking holidays back on Earth and catching up with friends and family, weddings and anything else other than where they were actually headed. They had changed Destiny's normal course and were headed to the other side of the galaxy, in search of several planets they had found in the new database; the planets were believed to have high readings of naquadria, and stargates.<p>

Their conversations were suddenly interrupted by Dr Brody, when Destiny's long range sensors picked up a signal "We've got a wormhole opening up ten parsecs to starboard..."

Chloe was in Kirks chair and initiated full shields "Shields at maximum...Dr Franklin..."

"Main weapon is armed and ready to activate" said Franklin with precision.

Chloe opened the com "General Young, we have an unidentified ship exiting hyperspace approximately nine parsecs to starboard."

Everett jumped to the nearest com "What's or ETA Chloe?"

"Less than ten minutes General; shields are up and weapons are armed..." she replied

"I'm on my way" he looked over to Jack who was smiling at him;

"You know" he kept smiling, "it might be one of ours to collect me...but best to be certain" said Jack casually.

Chloe dropped the ship from FTL about 30 million kilometres away and changed heading for an intercept course, closing out at full sublight speed.

A message was broadcast to Destiny "Are you going to lower your shields, or do I have to come and steal my boss back..."; "Hello Destiny this is Lt. Col. Cameron Mitchell of the Enterprise class ship Apollo 2011; we will be hosting a dinner tonight if any of you wish to eat some real food for a change...oh, and please lower your shields so we can dock with you."

Jack put his hand on Everett's shoulder "Told you, nothing to worry about..."

* * *

><p>On a far more sinister ship hiding in the folds of space and time, careful planning was underway;<p>

"General Traise, we are nearing the planet you wish to survey..."

"Excellent, re-enter and stay out of range until we know what technology they have..."

"Re-entering now Sir..." the Ha'taks ship glowed an eerie bluish white colour as they exited the wormhole.

Slowing to a near stop, the ship "hid" close into a gas giant planet and used their long distance scanners to look for any signs of technology around the planet. Finding none, the continued at sublight until close to the planets outermost of three moons. A more comprehensive scan showed very limited technology, but the all important stargate which appeared to be active.

"General Traise; the population and technology appear to be limited. I don't believe the Ori have found this world yet either, they would have found us first."

Decca opened the com "Is the Tel'tak ready yet?" he asked with a gruff tone.

"Nearly Sir, ten more minutes" said the engineer.

"You have five; stop talking and ready my ship!" Yelled Traise; the engineer didn't answer, he knew better.

The com opened up precisely five minutes later "Sir the ship is ready"

"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it...next time, more work, less talk...or you will be a redundant part yourself!" Traise stormed out to the docking bay; the two men at the helm looked at each other, but knew better than to speak.

"Now, does it work the way I asked?" he said in a sarcastic voice.

The engineer answered "Yes Sir, exactly...just press the red button when you want the smoke to appear; it will last for about 30 seconds as requested Sir!"

Decca put a hand on the scared engineers shoulder "Good, it better not fail" he squeezed his hand, hurting his shoulder and then let go.

About an hour later Decca, another warlord and two right-hand men boarded the Tel'tak and headed toward the planet.

Decca reminded them of the plan "Now remember, we don't want to kill anybody or rape and pillage; I will kill any of you who compromise this mission, everyone is to be on their best behaviour understood?"

In a chorus they all said "Yes General Traise!"

They entered the atmosphere and headed for the small population near the gate; just before coming into view Decca pressed the button. Thick smoke began to poor out of the rear end, leaving a visible trail across the sky as they swept across the village and landed safely over a hill. They were nearly one and a half kilometres from the main village, which gave them time for the next part; they set the selfdestruct on the Tel'tak for 45 seconds. The ship exploded before the locals could get there; the four men dirtied themselves and tore uniforms to add to the crash scene. To the untrained eye, it would have looked very real.

It took a good ten minutes before the first of the local people arrived at the "crash" site; unbeknown to them there was a second Tel'tak cloaked, that had arrived 2 minutes after Decca landed the first ship. As with many well conceived plans Decca had counted on a few things not working the way he wanted; the biggest hurdle of course was getting Destiny to stop off near enough to open the gate. This part of the plan was where things could go very wrong for the Lucian Alliance, and Destiny; his crazy idea was to use his Ha'taks to lure the Ori to this world.

Decca believed in the goodness in General Young's heart would not be able to resist saving these people from the Ori; and if their world was to be enslaved by Origin, well he would just have to remove the people from the planet and onto Destiny. They would get four of their men onboard without firing a shot; what he knew but didn't tell his other Generals was that Destiny had been upgraded to withstand the Ori weapons. If his informant was correct at the time, she also had the power to destroy an Ori mother ship; having power like that at his fingers would bring heed to them all.

Decca contemplated all this as the farming family who had given them shelter and food lay beside them sleeping peacefully. After watching the father, mother, and their two young children for a while, he rolled over and looked at his right hand man who was also wide awake, and said with a whisper;

"No one is to lay a hand on this family, I mean it...no one" his man nodded a silent "Yes Sir" without question or a word.

All they were doing now was waiting for the perfect moment.


	18. Chapter 18

Hello... Sorry for the wait, it hasn't been the best start to the year for me... A special thanks to "Sam" for your support over the last few weeks. Just so all of you who read my story on a regular basis know, the continuation of series 4 will be under this story to make it easier for those of you who have alerts (I lost count after the first hundred). Epp 19 is all but finished, and with any luck I will post it late next week. Epp 20 will be the final in this series, but it will take some time to write, so it maybe 2 to 3 weeks; and no spoilers...lol

Thanks Everyone for your PM's and reviews...enjoy!

SGU s03 e18

Commitment

Apollo 2011 was the biggest and best of Asgard, Ancient, and Tau'ri design in all its features; the shape and size of the ship was larger than Destiny, and very different from the boxy, bulky looking X-303s and Daedalus Class. She was sleek and smooth with a skin design similar to the Asgard O'Neill class; although named "Enterprise Class" by General O'Neill, in terms of appearance (in reference to Star Trek) they looked more like a cross between Destiny and a Klingon Vor'cha Class vessel. The sheer size of the ship was huge; the forward swept rear wing design spaned 590 metres, with Apollo's total length of 930 metres. The forward section was 350 metres long by 180 metres wide, which contained the bridge, mounted centrally at the top, and crew living quarters, 20 decks in total.

The bridging hall was 150 metres long and 100 metres wide by 15 decks; that included a full hospital and research facilities, before reaching the enormous tail section that started at a single level at the wing tips, and evenly elevated through to 34 decks in the centre structure. This section contained three separate hanger bays, engineering, main armoury, firing range, and housed Special Opps personal in their own restricted area. She had a rotating crew of three shifts filled by 6000 personal; if need be the Apollo could be flown by twelve. Three Asgard were also assigned to the ship, controlling beaming and engineering technology, and one Ancient would occasionally descend to assist if needed. Another special feature of this ship design was the addition of a stargate with nine chevron dialling capability, the same as Destiny; but the stargate was updated similar to the one on Atlantis, and a DHD was integral to the main controls.

Apollo 2011 carried formidable firepower and shielding; her smooth hull was ringed by rail guns, hidden behind the outer skin that would fold out when needed. The main weapons were modified Asgard beam with Valeyian enhancements, positioned visibly in several key areas around the ship; Castell had told them she would easily take on a fleet of Ori ships with these, but no one was willing to try just yet. The shields were Valeyian design; the Asgard threw everything they had at them without so much as a power fluctuation, even they were impressed. Four Ur'torina generators were positioned across the ship; one forward, one centre, and two aft, although Apollo could run easily on one alone. She had two banks of twenty, four metre diameter sublight engines arranged in a five by four pattern, 70 metres each side of centre at the rear; two single engines were enough to reach 85 percent of sublight speed if needed.

At the heart of the engineering section was the all important Ur'torina Drive that had just delivered Apollo 2011 to Destiny. Thanks to the Asgard matter stream technology, and some special help from the Ancients, construction of this first vessel was done off world in only several days. For all her size and technological advancement Apollo could still safely land on a planet; although she hovered above the ground. Five more of the ships were under construction, two on Earth in public view; Colonel Telford almost got his wish but not with Destiny, instead he was to be given an Enterprise class vessel to patrol and operate out of the Pegasus Galaxy against the Wraith...they too would be in for a shock upon meeting one of these ships. They were to be given to the Asgard, Tau'ri, and also offered to the Ursini for protection of their own galaxy and surrounding ones from the Ori; the Nox, Ancients, and even the Furlings maintained they had no need for them.

Apollo successfully docked with Destiny, encasing the two ships within Apollo's shields; as the airlock opened, Generals Young and O'Neill waited with Dr Rush, Eli, Lt. Scott, MSgt Greer, and several other military personal to greet them.

"Welcome aboard Destiny Colonel Mitchell" as Everett held out his hand; "How was your trip?"

* * *

><p>Cameron's casual smile adorned his face "Well, a couple of minor problems...artificial gravity decided to take a break for several minutes in a few areas of the ship; but apart from that, all was good." He looked at Jack; "General Landry sends his regards...and he said to tell you; he wants to know if "now you will finally retire for real"..."<p>

Jack looked on with a grin "He's welcome to my chair anytime he likes..."

Colonel Samantha Carter came through the airlock a few minutes later, and met with Eli and Dr Rush. After saying hello, their conversation soon turned towards more technical topics about the ship and its systems; both Destiny and Apollo. Eli couldn't wait to have a look at the new ship; they had seen it on the screen as they closed in and it looked awesome. She had to dock underneath Destiny due to her sheer size; Jack walked up behind them and spoke to Col. Carter;

"Hi Sam, have you told them yet?"

"General, I was just getting to it Sir" she turned back to Dr Rush and Eli "Can we talk somewhere private?" she asked;

Eli was first to react "Yeah, come this way..." as he turned, they all followed him to the directional elevator; once inside he closed the door "Ok we can speak in here without being detected" Eli though this must have been top secret military "stuff".

Nick looked at Sam "You want to see the databank don't you..."he turned his attention to Jack "I thought you said no one else knows about this?" spoken in a gruff tone.

Samantha smiled at him trying to break the tension "I was the only other person allowed to know, and that came from Castell himself, Dr Rush."

"General O'Neill, it's not that I don't trust Colonel Carter; but our instructions were very explicit...no one is supposed to know we have it..." Rush still had anger in his voice, but conceded that eventually this would happen.

Jack slightly nodded his head and said "I understand Dr Rush, but this is not to leave this room..." he paused for a moment "We don't really know all that much about this race, and we're mainly taking your word upon trusting them. My bosses aren't as easily convinced about these people, and were not impressed by his methods and actions at the conference; we just want to know...no, understand a little more about them, that's all..."

Sam continued "I'm only here to study some of their culture and engineering capabilities, not their meaning of life..."

Eli stepped up "Colonel Carter, um that's where it's really difficult; everything is tied together. Form what I and Dr Rush have deciphered so far, their power comes from the mind and centuries of training. Hell, they live for around 2000 years these people; that would have to be a key to something."

Dr Rush became friendlier with his tone "We have theorised that a lot of what they can do is along a similar line to say one of those Buddhist Monks that study martial arts with extraordinary capabilities. We believe..." he looked at Eli for confirmation "We think it is mainly in their minds, which give them the keys to their special "technology"..."

Sam replied "On our way here we made a quick stop off near an asteroid, that was half the size of the US on a close call to Earth; we tested the ships weapon at full capacity. The entire asteroid was vaporised into nothing in one shot; it was like it had been packed with thousands of nuclear warheads. That wasn't mind power but, it was incredible technology we still don't quite understand."

Eli smiled having one up on someone a smart as Samantha Carter "We do..."

Sam's surprised look said it all "So is it ok if I take a look?" Eli looked at Nick who nodded; he pressed the elevator controls to the databank area...

Throughout the next week the two ships remained docked; tours were conducted on both, with the crew of Destiny amazed at the capabilities of the Apollo. The ship was a small flying city with some new changes to culture as well; there wasn't any money onboard, unlike the aircraft carriers of Earth. Matter creation technology was used instead for inanimate and animate goods like food, personal items, or parts, similar to Destiny's 3D printer. This allowed anyone to create any desired product or component required at the time; three major units were installed that ran independent of the ship, in case of emergency to create parts or life support systems.

A completely new crew of 25 military personal, 2 members of the I.O.C, and 15 civilian scientists was assigned to Destiny with permission granted by Everett, Lt. Scott, Nickolas, and Camille after reviewing their personal files; this brought the crew to eighty.

Lt. Mathew Scott was awarded the military's newest, yet still publicly unknown award "Off World Valour Medal" for his daring actions on the Terestay planet to save his men and civilians alike:

Citation: Selflessness in singlehandedly diverting a heavily armed alien force to aid the escape of his remaining men carrying a wounded civilian, and the protection and retrieval against enemy forces, of civilians without question for his own safety.

It was the new equivalent of the Service Crosses for off world forces personal.

MSgt Ronald Greer received both a Purple Heart and a Silver Star for a "Gallantry in Action".

Citation: Expert marksmanship in protecting the life (and lives) of civilian crew members while outnumbered under heavily armed enemy attack.

Both of them were ordered to return to earth for the presentation, along with the surviving members of the team; all of them including the fallen were awarded Bronze Stars, and some, Purple Hearts. In discreetly breaking some traditions and bending the rules, Jack awarded Camille and Franklin a Purple Heart; Corporal Reynolds was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, which was presented to his parents.

* * *

><p>Vanessa lay beside Camille with her arm over her belly "Te'arly's belly is getting bigger by the day, and to think Ginn's is pregnant too...I can't imagine Eli as a father" said Vanessa.<p>

"I can; I think he will be a wonderful father...he has so much love in his heart, and he is completely in love with Ginn. It is so wonderful to see two people that devoted to each other..." Camille said sleepily as she turned to Vanessa and kissed her.

The com broke their embrace "Lieutenant, this is Scott please respond."

Vanessa answered "Yes Lieutenant..."

"Um you do realize you were supposed to be on duty fifteen minutes ago?"

Lt James turned white "Oh! Shit, sorry Sir I'll be there in five..."

Matt smiled at her reaction "Ok...Lt. James..." and chuckled as he closed the com.

An air of calm had befallen Destiny, but her new recruits were anything but calm compared to the "old hands" still onboard. They were busy learning different systems, and some strange customs that were very different from the standard military protocols; Hawaiian Day being one of them. With all of the new personal especially that of the Air Force, Lt. Mathew Scott was promoted to Captain; for his experience of being aboard Destiny, and of course his actions that had saved many on various occasions. MSgt Greer was also lifted in rank to 1stSgt. Ronald Greer, for his outstanding efforts and clever improvised thinking; any bad record he had seemed to have just disappeared thanks to a certain retiring General. 2ndLt. Vanessa James was also promoted to First Lieutenant; something that she had been immensely proud of, and deserved.

The military personal gathered in the exercise room for an update of orders from Stargate Command, General Young addressed everyone there:

"We have a new direction from Command. We are to explore planets of interest approximate to our current path, and appease any attempt of injustice against a people or race that would seek to remove them of their free will within any current galaxy." Everett paused and reflected for a moment then continued "In simple terms it means stop the Ori or any other oppressive force picking on the innocent; as always, there will be more to it than that of course."

Capt. Matt Scott gestured to his General with his eyes and a slight nod;

General Young continued "There are several features of this ship that are to remain highly classified from the outside world; for this reason, these will be areas off limits to unauthorised personal, both military and civilian alike. If for some reason you are required to entre these areas, or in an emergency, you will not touch or question anything that you see; nor will you describe to any unauthorised person what you saw. Something's are better not known for your own good and the safety of this ship; out here, we are truly on our own so all precautions are necessary. Your superior officers will explain the areas in more detail." Everett handed the floor to 1stSgt. Greer for a weapons briefing.

Greer used his menacing drill sergeants voice "Ok, you all heard General Young; if I catch anyone disregarding this warning about restricted areas, you will be arrested and contained, is that understood?"

In one chorus the men screamed "Yes First Sergeant Sir!"

Greer softened his tone somewhat and continued with the weapons training "In answer to some of your questions, I will describe our defences aboard the ship. Destiny's main weapon has been modified by the Valeyians into a two stage "pulse" weapon, capable of penetrating Ori shield technology and destroying the ship completely; and no, we haven't tried it yet, but I'm certain we will get the chance." He paused for a moment before describing as best he could how it worked.

"The first "pulse" is what has been called a space/time disrupter that creates a small gap through the energy field of the targets shield, regardless of the type of energy it uses. This gap allows the main weapon beam or second "pulse" to penetrate to the target and deliver a blast of up to 50 megatons at full power. Although we don't understand exactly how this is possible, what we do know is the Valeyians want us to be able to protect ourselves from the Ori; I have been to their planet and I can tell you, they have technology beyond our wildest dreams..." "Our shielding will withstand pretty much anything that we know of, and the shuttle has the same; although not with the weapons. Now follow me to the armoury for a description and training in the Ancient weapons and suits..." Greer was happy to play the holographic training again.

Capt. Scott was trying to become use to his new title with his promotion, and walked around Destiny's hanger with Everett.

Everett smiled "So, Captain; how does it fell to have half a dozen Generation III F-302 fighters on board now?"

For a moment Matt looked behind him for the "Captain", and then remembered to Everett's amusement. "I don't know why I deserve this Sir; I only did what I had to in the situation we found ourselves in, I'm no hero General..."

Everett stopped being his General and became his friend "That wasn't what I asked, but obviously it is troubling you, talk to me son..."

Matt took a deep breath "I just don't think what we did was that different to other battles that have happened out here and on Earth...there should be a whole heap of these given out; look at some of the things SG1 achieved, what reward did they get?" "How many times did they save Earth or some race from destruction or oppression...it just seems unfair." He sighed at the thought of his men that were killed that day.

Everett put a fatherly hand on his shoulder "Sometimes things don't seem fair in life; you helped me recover from where I was before we entered stasis. Matt, your guys took on God knows how many men that day; the Terestay said their body count was well over 100, and they had near equal weaponry to us, and home town advantage. You took it upon yourself to double back and create a diversion to take the heat off not only your men carrying Franklin, but to lead them away from your escape route. Greer told me that if you hadn't of done that, they would have run out of ammo trying to defend their position before we arrived; you really did save a lot of lives that day son...you, and Greer, earned it and lived to enjoy it...many don't." Everett smiled at his good friend, who he had now come to think of like a son; their thoughts were quickly interrupted by the com.

"General Young please respond" asked Adam Brody;

"Mr Brody what's the problem?" he asked

"General, we are picking up a distress signal on long range sensors; our E.T.A is 15 minutes, the vessel is an unknown."

Matt looked at Everett with concern in his eyes; "Very well Dr Brody, we'll be on the bridge in a few minutes, Young out."

Matt and Everett arrived on the bridge to find Adam in Kirks chair, with Franklin and Ginn at the forward control CI bank; Dr Rush entered a few moments later.

Everett asked; "Dr Brody, what do we know?"

"General, I can't get a solid reading apart from the distress signal, they maybe cloaked; but we have a lock on the space distortion around them: the ship may only be about 100 metres long by 30 metres square" he replied.

"Ginn, open the hailing frequencies" asked Everett as they dropped from FTL and closed in at sublight speed.

"Distressed vessel this is General Everett Young of the Starship Destiny please respond..."

* * *

><p>Nothing<p>

He tried again "This is General Young of Destiny; we have received your distress signal...please uncloak so we can assist you"

Again there was no response.

"Dr Brody, how far away are we?"

"We're at 5000 metres; they're right in front of us General, drifting slowly on sublight engines."

Eli broke their silence on the com "General! Destiny is searching the databank like...ballistically! I'm trying to find out what for, but there are holographic screens projected everywhere down here."

"Ok Eli; Dr Rush anything?" asked Everett:

Eli answered first "Sir, I think she's modifying her scanner array to cut through the ships cloak" he said with some certainty.

Dr Rush confirmed Eli's suspicion "Destiny is attempting to render a 3D picture of the ship through the cloaking device, and check for life signs"

"We can do that too another way, Capt. Scott..."

Matt responded before he could finish "Step ahead of you Sir, on my way to the fighter bay now..." as he left the bridge; Everett smiled to himself.

Eli cut through the com "Are you guys seeing this?" He tapped the holoscreen and sent it to the bridge screens.

"We are now..." said Dr Rush studying the image of the unusual alien ship.

Adam sat there opened mouthed before saying "Oh my God, it's the Borg!"

Franklin looked at Brody "What the fuck is the Borg?"

Brody looked at him strange as though he should have known the answer "You know, Star Trek...the Borg, who assimilate living beings into Cyborgs? They have cubical space ships too..."

Dr Rush jumped in as Matt's fighter and two others departed the hanger flight deck "Dr Brody; I don't think it's the Borg somehow, and the ship is a series of 3 rectangles joined in a line by a tube. However, it is a different design to the many other ships we have encountered."

Franklin leaned over to Adam "You really were a nerd as a child..." he said sarcastically; Adam grunted.

Nick continued "General I'm picking up several life signs; although they appear to be in a hyper sleep or stasis of some sort, ten signs in all and two have different bio readings." Rush did some more searching on the alien life forms "General, you need to see this..."

Everett stepped over to the CI screen where Nick was standing "Terestay race, two readings; I can't identify the others but they appear 99.99 percent human"

Eli piped up on the com "General; Destiny is attempting to lower the ship's cloak, she is trying to jam the generator."

It didn't take long before the ship flickered to reality again, as Destiny's powerful new knowledge in the database gave the answer; she navigated through the basic shields of the alien vessel and linked with the central computer. Destiny then lowered the shields and brought the vessel to a stop, before giving everyone a message;

"Do you wish to revive the crew, General Young?"

Everett didn't even look at the screen "Go ahead Destiny, wake them up..."

The signal was given to the onboard computer to awaken the crew; Capt. Scott and two other pilots were behind the alien ship at a stop with weapons armed, just in case. The Gen III F-302 had the latest Valeyian shields and armourment modifications; F-302's had been modified to take on Ori fighters and win, and they believed enough of them could cause severe damage to an Ori mother ship.

Within several minutes a transmission was received by Destiny in a scared female voice; "Please, we are refugees from the Fildara System; we mean you no harm..."

Everett quickly responded "This is General Everett Young of the star ship Destiny; we are responding to your distress signal, do you need assistance?" and waited for the reply.

The reply shocked everyone on the bridge as a friendly voice came across "General Young, this is Professor Krystal Neb; we are ok, but the ship and FTL drive is damaged..."

Even Eli, who was listening in the database room, got a shock; Everett responded "Professor Neb, glad to hear your all ok; what happened?"

"General, I hate to be rude, but our life support is down to eighty percent and failing; may we please come aboard Destiny? There is a small docking bay on the lower portside of the ship's forward section; I think your shuttle will fit" she replied hastily.

Dr Rush gave Everett a nod to confirm Destiny's readings of their life support slowly failing; before he replied he quickly radioed the awaiting shuttle to depart.

"Professor, the shuttle is on its way; please be advised that: you and your crew will have to be under our protection until we know what is going on...I'm sorry Krystal, it's just a protocol measure." Everett didn't trust who she was with.

Her reply was simple "I understand, thank you General."

The door of the docking bay opened and the shuttle squeezed in; ten people got on, two Terestay and eight humans, 1stSgt. Greer welcomed them and Krystal onboard.

"I guess you have learnt to use the stargate Ma'am; not as easy as it seems hey?" said Greer as he checked out the faces of the others

The three fighters kept watch as the shuttle re-docked with Destiny, before coming home themselves. All of the stricken crew left the shuttle under armed escort with Greer standing beside the Professor.

He asked quietly out of earshot of the others "Are you under duress Ma'am...just say the word and I'll help."

"No Sergeant, its ok; but the planet: have you ever heard of a "Prior"?"

* * *

><p>"Let me guess, from the Ori?" asked Greer with dread in his heart.<p>

"Yes...they came to the planet two weeks after we had made first contact with the Fildarans; they are an advanced race, but their technology was no match in battle against the Priors power" she said sadly.

"Not many races can I'm afraid..."Greer wanted to tell her that Destiny could, but knew he had to keep silent until they worked out the truth.

The group of five women and three men along with Krystal and her male team member Zanx, headed to the gate room. Once there, General Young introduced himself; the captain of the vessel was a woman called Tezareena who asked to be know by just "Tez"

"I am sorry that we meet under these circumstances General Young; but it seems now that my homeworld is lost to the Ori. Our defences just wouldn't hold up against them; we battled them for a week before fleeing our now devastated planet" Tez was visibly upset along with the rest of her crew, with some still shedding tears.

Everett listened to his instincts that told him these people were on the level, and he could see a genuine fear in their eyes: "How far did you get before the FTL drive failed?"

Tez shook her head "Maybe two days worth of travel before the engine failed; we drifted for a day until getting the sublight engine online again, and have been in stasis for a few days since the life support started to fail..."

Nick had joined the party and asked "How fast is your FTL drive?"

Tez had to think for a minute through the fog of trauma in her brain "About twenty ly (light-year) per hour...the ships computer should be able to tell you more, but some of the data maybe corrupted from the fight. We managed to modify our shields to withstand more, but it was still not enough...they just killed so many people..." Tears were now streaming from her eyes and another of her crew held and comforted her.

Matt came into the gate room and got Everett's attention "Sir, from where I could see the back section of their ship took a direct hit; about a quarter of the rear section is missing, it's a wonder they made it this far."

"Captain, get on the subspace and call Apollo; time to put them to the test..." Everett was through running from the Ori; now was the time to stand and fight!

T.J, Amanda, Camille, Vanessa, along with Lisa and Varro, took the crew to the infirmary and checked them over. Some had minor scratches with the worst a couple of broken ribs from being thrown in the blast impact; the status of their minds was a completely different ball game. Camille's counterpart from the I.O.C, Dr Tasha Wong Hoy was a practicing psychologist on Earth; she began to talk to them all about what happened.

Krystal asked to see Everett after she had the ok from T.J; Tamara called him to the infirmary.

"General Young, Tez has told me that there are three other planets that they trade with on a regular basis, on this side of the galaxy; two are major cities and civilisations, and one is a simple farming community that live near the gate."

Everett asked "Do you know the gate addresses, and are they on good terms with these people?"

Krystal Smiled "Yes, they're on good terms; but you should know, one race are sea dwellers. I mean, they live in the ocean in an underwater city; they can breathe both on land and underwater, as their planet is nearly ninety eight percent oceans."

Dr Rush was in the room for the conversation and waded in "They're not translucent and blue headed by any chance, with ship technology?"

"No Dr Rush, they are a quiet and peaceful race and apart from gills in their necks, they appear very similar to us; they have told me there is no need for them to explore space, although they do have unusual technology that controls the ocean and creatures within: it also allows us to breath like they do underwater."

Nick looked at Everett "I doubt the Ori would have any power over these beings, water would not be of use to them. If they have power over the elements like that...the lack of land, maybe the Ori wouldn't think there was anyone on the planet in the first place."

Everett turned back to Krystal "What about the other two planets...do they possess any technology to defend themselves?"

Krystal shrugged "I have only been to the farming world, and that was several weeks ago; Tez was one of the cargo ship pilots that used to collect and deliver goods to them, she knows them well and said they would be in trouble..."

"Do you have a gate address and how many are on the planet?" asked Everett in a matter of fact way.

Tez came over to them "There are about 200 people there in a small village near the gate...I can draw you the symbols for the astria porta address; I haven't visited in nearly two months, it isn't time for their harvest yet."

Dr Rush's eyes widened "Astria Porta...you know the Ancient word for the star gate?"

Tez began to focus on saving the lives of anyone she could "Yes, we know of an Ancient race that once lived on our planet more than 10 million years ago, but we call them Vale'ions. They seemed to have possessed amazing powers and technology; there artefacts' have given us much of our own technology."

Nick stared at Everett for a moment then said "Valeyians...must have been a stopover planet."

Tez looked a bit confused "No, Vale'ions..." she corrected.

Dr Rush answered "No, you don't understand; Valeya is a planet from which the Valeyians come from in this galaxy. They have been around for over 470 million years; it is where the original human beings come from, both you and me...I know by what you have just described, no other race could have been that advanced; they are one in the same race."

Matt came back down to the infirmary in person "General, the Apollo is turning around but she is 40 hours away across the universe near the Ursini's galaxy; both of them are coming too Sir..."

Everett looked at Matt's smile "Both?"

"Yes Sir; the Ursini's new ship also...They told me they've detected a fleet of Ori headed to this galaxy on the way back; Col. Mitchell sends his regards and had a message for you Sir...he said he wants some Ori payback..."

Everett chuckled to himself "He did hey...It will be to late by then to save the farming planet; let's get in gate range and pick them up..."

Nick reminded Everett "General, what about Tez's ship; Destiny has uploaded as much as she could from their computer, but I mean it's beyond repair: where are they going to go now?"

Tez looked at both of them "The ship is beyond repair; there is nothing on there but bad memories, and a computer that could give out sensitive information...destroy it!" she ordered.

General Young looked around the room "Does everyone agree with Tez, or have anything to collect?"

"No...We agree" was there consensus, including Krystal and Zanx.

"Ok we'll destroy it" Everett took Matt with him to the bridge.

They found Chloe had taken Kirks chair from Adam who was now sitting at the main gun control.

"Chloe take us to 15,000 kilometres from the ship, turn and target with the main weapon; Dr Brody, arm the main weapon to ten percent, with Valeyian enhancement. I don't think they will mind us trying the weapon on an unoccupied ship."

Within a few seconds Chloe had Destiny aimed at the ship; General Young made an announcement to all.

"All personal; we are poised to fire the main weapon with Valeyian enhancement in 30 seconds, please secure any loose goods near your person now!"

He looked at Chloe "Ready...Dr Brody, status report?"

"Shields at full power, weapon ready General" he held his breath.

Everett counted down "three...two...one...Fire!"

Brody pushed the button...


	19. Chapter 19

Hi again; season 3 is drawing to a close... Series 4 has been started, but you will have to wait a couple of weeks inbetween. I'll try and post the final episode in this series next week...

SGU s03 e19

Decisions

A pulse of blue light flashed forward at immense speed, followed by a yellowish beam headed toward the damaged ship. A circular blue ring of radiating energy shockwave spread out from the epicentre of the blast for about a 1500 kilometre radius; microseconds later a ball of white light from the centre momentary blinded everyone watching, as five megatons of explosive energy was released into space radiating in all directions and completely incinerating the ship.

In the same instant before Everett could even say it, Chloe put the pedal to the metal and sped Destiny over a 100,000 kilometres away to escape any residual blast radius... then turned to watch the spectacle disappear as heat into the cold of space

There was silence on the bridge until;

"Fuck me!" Brody was shaking in his chair "any wonder they said not to use it on anyone but the Ori; and that was only a fraction of the power!"

Everett put his hand on Chloe's shoulder "Nice work Chloe...you read my mind"; she smiled. "Dr Rush, you have the bridge...I need to check on our guests"

The crew from the stricken ship were now on the observation deck, still stunned at the power of the blast.

Tez turned to Everett as he walked in and said "You can defeat them, can't you?"

* * *

><p>Decca Traise was sitting eating dinner after a hard day's work in the field with his farming family. For all his hatred and evilness inside, something had struck a chord with this particular family, and he vowed to himself to protect them from the Ori at all cost; but not that of the objective, no...That was to be completed no matter what the cost. He felt his transmitter tingle in his pocket; excusing himself from dinner, he quickly moved out of sight and answered the call.<p>

"General, we have led the Ori on a chase around several planets...yours is next. Destiny has just got underway, so our source has told me; they should arrive just before the Ori do" said the voice on the other end.

"Good, it's about time..." Traise replied

"General, there is one more thing Sir; Destiny fired its main weapon at the Fildaran craft, they have something we have never seen anywhere else; Sir, the sensors went off the scale...we have no idea what this weapon is, but I believe it would destroy and Ori mothership."

"That's what I'm hoping on Captain; only make contact again if something is drastically wrong, I will contact you when I'm ready..." Decca turned off the transmitter and returned to his dinner...

Back on Destiny, Chloe was making headway in FTL towards the solar systems Tez had described. Everett was now on the observation deck with Krystal and Tez, who were questioning him about everything they could.

"Please General; can you defeat the Ori?" asked Tez again.

Everett looked at Krystal and then Eli, who nodded; he turned his attention back to Tez, remembering what Castell had told him about trusting himself as he sighed:

"Yes, we can defeat them in battle; but that is not our intention, more a last resort. I will attempt to drive them out of this galaxy..."

Tez had a tear in the corner of her eye which was quickly replaced by anger "What, so they can go and kill another 12 billion people on a planet in some other galaxy? How dare you sit here and tell me you won't stop them; I had to watch half of my fucken family die in front of me because they refused to give me up!"

The young corporal on guard duty stepped forward slightly, but Everett waved him off; "Captain!" he calmed his voice; "Tez, I'm sorry for your loss, but you have to understand that we are not bounty hunters; we didn't come here in search of a fight. We are under orders to suppress the Ori where possible, but our main objective is exploration and contact with new worlds. If we come across an Ori mothership, chances are we will have to fight and believe me when I tell you; I will fire on them with intent. Our people too have seen the pain and losses they have caused; it has only been recently that we have the technology to fight back too" Everett could feel what she felt inside; pain and payback.

Tez began to control her anger, and again found just pain "I can fight, and I will; any chance I get..." as another tear gently rolled down her cheek.

The General in Everett shined through "Well then, Captain; maybe it's time we introduced you to 2ndLt. Kelly Paterson and her F-302 Fighter simulator..." he smiled hoping it would take her mind off the pain.

Tez looked a little confused "You're going to teach me to fly one of your fighter ships; I don't get it?"

Everett lifted his fore arms upturning his palms in a "why not" gesture, as Krystal smiled catching on to his plan "Even if we take out the main ship, you can bet your ass there will still be a squadron of Ori fighters to deal with; I could use another good pilot. How about it?" he asked.

"Ok..." she nodded and surrendered her anger and pain for a better cause.

"Corporal, please take Captain Tez to see Lt. Paterson; and son, you don't need to protect her...Does he Captain..." more a statement of trust than a question from Everett.

She put out her hand to him "Thank you General; I'm sorry I yelled at you..."

"You're not the first woman that's yelled at me..." he smiled; she returned the gesture and left with a guide, not a guard.

Krystal looked at Eli and General Young "Well done Gen. Young, that will help keep her mind off things; now, where do I start...I suppose you both would like an answer about how I got to be here..."

Eli started first "You got the gate worked out and have been exploring, like us; and I bet you're trying to find races with advanced technology that will help you advance your own: I'm I right?" He still had a cheeky grin on his face.

She stared at him and began to laugh in their knowing "Oh...you lot really are quick to catch on; what did you think we would do once we worked it all out; thanks to you of course Eli..."

Eli shrugged "Oh well, shit happens...We figured that your society would have a similar idea; by the way, your English is very good..." he replied light heartedly noticing that there was much less delay. "How's your father doing?" changing the subject.

"Thank you Eli; our whole planet is learning your language...My father is in his rightful place as the President; your people inspired them to move forward with the taking back of his government...but that is another story. How is Ginn, Eli; are you looking forward to being a father?"

A happy Eli replied "She is well and has about five month's to go; as for the other part, yeah...I am..." Krystal watched as his eyes lit up with the thought...

Everett turned the conversation back to the reality they were all facing "So Eli was right about how you came to be on the ship?"

Krystal nodded "Yeah, we basically did just what Eli said. We had been on their planet for a few days by ourselves, after the main group returned home with the news of negotiations for technology. No one was expecting this; they just came out of nowhere and attack us when they refused to follow Origin." She had her own questions; "Your other ships Capt. Scott told you about; they are chasing them aren't they?" her eyes followed Everett's into his soul.

Sensing her gesture, he took a more relaxed approach and understood that one day the Terestay, would become valuable allies to the Tau'ri and their causes: and Krystal would be the key: "Yes, they are now on a search and destroy mission to rid the galaxy of Ori; at the specific request of the Valeyians...they have given us the technology to defeat them once and for all."

Krystal posed an interesting question to both Everett and Eli "Where they this aggressive in other galaxies...killing everyone? I mean, there were nearly twelve billion inhabitants on Fildara, and they just annihilated them like nothing; children, women, men both civilian and military, it didn't matter. The prior ordered his men to just kill all of them; I have seen battles, but this was just murderous rampage: their ships just continuously fired from space levelling their cities in a few hours."

Eli had a tear run down his cheek at the thought of the cruelty the Ori had succumbed these people too. Everett could not remember the Ori being so barbaric in their ways; that said, he knew they certainly had that power within them, but had never encountered such devastation from the Ori.

He finally said "They have killed people for not believing or trying to oppose them, but I've never heard of destruction by them on this scale; they need followers to fight the ascended Ancients, so wiping out a whole planet is just unheard of... I'm sorry Krystal, I just don't understand why they would do this; it has never been how they fight in the past. I am at as much of a loss as you are to explain it..." She could see the truth of his own reckoning in his eyes.

* * *

><p>Destiny was now about two hours away from gate range of the farm planet; Everett had contacted the Apollo and Earth to inform them of what had happened. Even Dr Jackson was shocked at this seemingly new Ori tactic; but his instincts told him something was off, they had never been this callus against even the humans that resisted. After discussing it with several members of the SGC and other allies, the only plausible explanation was that it had to do with the battle between the Ascended and Ori; Lady Destiny couldn't even explain it, but did bring up a plausible answer.<p>

"If the people in question were following the path of ascension, they would have been more "ammunition" for us; hence killing all of them before they could reach it, being that it was so sudden and unexpected, would have stopped ascension. I'm sorry that we could not help them in time; ascension is usually assisted in part by those who have gone before."

This was relayed back to Destiny along with direct orders to destroy any Ori vessel found without hesitation, regardless of its origin or crew status; an all out war had been declared on the Ori and it had began. As Destiny continued her way towards the system, everyone was busy doing something onboard.

Lisa Park had regained her full position and was assisting Dr Rush and Amanda with data on the system they were headed toward. Eli was with Ginn at the databank searching for anything that would assist in what was coming; at least Ginn's morning sickness had settled down somewhat, which made her mornings a bit easier. 1stSgt. Greer was taking the new "recruits" through their paces in training simulations in the weapons range. Captain Scott briefed his pilots, including Tez on what they may expect from the Ori, and other technical details. Te'arly was with T.J and Varro having the final treatment on her unborn baby boy; tests had revealed that his genetics were now free of the imperfection plaguing her planet. Varro had synthesized a painless injection version of the cure, which was now ready for use.

Chloe had become the main pilot of Destiny; the two of them now shared the most unusual link whenever she sat in Kirks chair. Chloe could "feel" Destiny's systems, and once she was seated they seemed to become hers to control; both with her mind, and on the CI console. Although many other people could fly Destiny, and very well at that; Chloe was exceptional at it almost beyond human limits, and became one with the ship whenever she did. Camille and Tasha were working with the stricken crew of the cargo vessel, and Tez to find a solution for their displacement; Vanessa was also there assisting from a military standpoint with known safe destinations.

Everett would oversee all that was happening until his radio went off "Um, General Young please respond"

"Yes Eli, what have you got?"

"Sir, I need you to come down here..." he asked

Everett sighed with frustration "Eli, I'm a bit busy at the moment; can it wait?"

Eli's reply was sharp "No Sir, not this..."

A few minutes passed before an impatient Everett turned up to see Eli and Ginn 'Make it fast Eli, and it better be good..."

"General, I'm sorry to get you down here but we have a leak...onboard this ship" Eli's face was seriously filled with concern.

Everett realised why he'd asked him in person "You mean someone is leaking information; to who, the Ori?"

"I don't know where or who too, but there has been and intermittent signal streaming from Destiny; not long after we destroyed the ship and jumped to FTL. It isn't subspace so whoever it is they must be in this galaxy and near to us; the signal transmission appears to be like a short message" Eli was silently taping away at the large holoscreen in front of him while talking.

Everett's military mind ticked over "When did it start; and can we locate the source?"

Eli sadly answered "When we picked up the crew; there was another signal just before they would have got onto the shuttle, but that was detected by their ships computer; Ginn found it while streaming through the downloaded data."

Everett was concerned, but smiled at the two people he had come to trust implicitly; he reached for his radio "Capt. Scott, Sgt. Greer; please respond" he looked at the two of them "Thanks guys..."

After they responded he quickly organised a confidential meeting with several key members of his crew; Nick, Camille, Vanessa, Ginn and Eli along with the Matt and Greer all convened in a private conference room, where Eli and Ginn explained what they had found.

"So, we don't know yet who sent it or what was sent?" asked Ronald

"Not yet, but I have modified Destiny's internal sensors to locate the source of any further transmissions" replied Ginn; "The technology is different to anything we know of" she added.

"What is the next step General?" asked Camille

"The problem is the nature of not knowing what the message was about; have you had any luck decoding it yet Eli?" asked Everett

"Not yet, but Destiny is running a series of complex algorithms to crack it, but only five percent of the transmission was retrievable from the damaged ship; because the signal came from within Destiny and not through, it wasn't recorded. For all her intellect General, she can't do everything all the time, especially when Destiny is communicating with the database." Eli lifted his upturned hands "I guess you could say it takes it out of her..."

Dr Rush had another way of putting it "What Eli is saying is that we can't be searching for everything all the time, and neither can Destiny; not even Apollo has that kind of power. It is unfortunate that something important like this was missed at the time..."

Eli spoke up again "It was Destiny that alerted us to the transmission, but to be fair it was well hidden amongst other signals happening within the ship; as Ginn said, the technology is different to what we have seen..."

Matt looked at his General "So where to now; we know roughly who it was from, could we trust Krystal to point them out?"

Everett thought for a moment "I doubt it is her, but she may have no idea about it either"

Vanessa had an idea "Sir what if we get all of them to go for a medical scan; if the device is implanted it may make someone nervous or the fact they have to get undressed into a gown and hide something?"

"It could work, but we'll be in range of the planet in just over an hour; I doubt we will have time to scan everyone by then" replied Everett.

Camille asked "Can't we just scan for the signal?"

Dr Rush explained "The device has to be transmitting for that to happen; Ginn has set Destiny to scan in case of that. This maybe more in your hands Camille; you and Dr Wong Hoy talk to them and get a sense of who may have a hidden agenda. It may not be perfect, but it might narrow it down somewhat."

"We could but again it will take time. I know several who you could disregard and maybe three if I had to say, seem to be holding back; but it could just be trauma from losing everything around you" Camille made sense.

"Not everyone Sir..." said Ron deep in thought.

Matt's thoughts locked with Ronald's "Krystal and Zanx; they didn't lose anything, just a way home."

Eli jumped to her defence "No, not Krystal; she wouldn't do that...I know she wouldn't"

Ron put his hands out "Easy Eli...I wasn't saying it was her, just that she and Zanx didn't have as much to loose...that's all"

Nick and Everett looked at each other with the same thought "communication stones"

Rush said it first "Destiny, can you scan the crew of the "Borg" vessel to see if any of them may be connected to communication stones?"

Everett looked at Nick with a discerning look "Stones; but from where?"

1stSgt Greer hit the bullseye again "Lucian Alliance; it has to be...they still want the ship" he said in a cold almost cunning tone.

Before anyone could speak, a message appeared in the form of a holographic version of Lady Destiny "Hello Everett" she smiled politely "There is one person under the influence of communication stones, but he is not from Captain Tezareena's crew" she turned to Eli and morphed into Maryanne "Eli darling, your instincts serve you well; nor is it Professor Neb" and with that she disappeared.

Matt and Ron locked eyes knowing who: "Let's get him..." said Ron

Everett dived in "Hold on guys, the real Zanx probably doesn't know what's going on; if we are there when we jump to FTL, we'll have about ten or twelve seconds of Zanx to tell him what's going on. You need Krystal to talk to him; Zanx deserves that chance too."

* * *

><p>They tried a psychological approach without the use of force to see if they could make him nervous; Matt approached Krystal about some technical issues with their off world programme, and asked if she could assist. She agreed and was quickly escorted away from Zanx, who asked if he could assist.<p>

Sgt Greer's first response was "No, this matter doesn't concern you" in a rather abrupt tone, loud enough for Krystal to hear. Zanx was left in a secure room that had now been monitored for any type of transmission.

Krystal was taken to General Young's quarters under guard to which she was now worried "General, is something wrong?"

"No, I'm sorry I had to bring you here like this; we have a problem and need your help..." he replied looking at her smiling.

Krystal was beginning to be scared of what was eventuating, and asked again "General, am I in trouble, have I done something wrong?"

Everett walked up to her in a relaxed manner "No, not you; but I do have to ask how well do you know Zanx?" was his first question.

Krystal was still a bit taken back but replied "I have worked with him for several years, why?"

Everett remained relaxed and open "Have you worked close to him, or just someone you know?"

She took it the wrong way "I am not involved with him, if that's what you mean..." sounding confused.

"Sorry, I'll rephrase the question; I want to know if you have noticed anything different about him, especially his personality or actions...over the last few days or weeks?" asked Everett more concerned.

Krystal had to think for a moment "He seems to have lost his sense of humour, just like you at the moment..." now she was beginning to get agitated at this questioning.

Everett changed tactic for the truth; "We have found out someone is under the influence of an ancient communication device known as a communication stone. Destiny has tracked the consciousness to Zanx; he currently isn't who he should be. The stones work by allowing a swap of consciousness between the users, where they inhabit each other's bodies; distance is not an issue as they can easily stretch across the universe. We ourselves use them to communicate sensitive information to Earth; Zanx was probably unaware of the connection until too late" Everett laid it out straight for her and waited for the reaction.

"Say this is true; why would someone want to take over Zanx's body? I mean, what purpose would it serve?" she asked with mistrust.

"Before we came to this galaxy we were in stasis for nearly three years. Prior to that, a group called the Lucian Alliance attempted a takeover of Destiny; they want the ship for their own purpose, for what we still don't know, but we concluded for her technology and capabilities. At the time Destiny was in a bad state of repair and only had limited power, and we struggled to survive; what you see now was thanks to the Ancients, Asgard, and Ursini in repairing and upgrading everything about the ship. If the Lucian Alliance was to get hold of Destiny and reprogram her; she would become an unstoppable war machine." Everett was beyond caring about the how much real information he gave her.

Krystal looked deep in his eyes and read his soul, a natural trait that her race was capable of "Ok, I believe you" her smile returned and she relaxed. "Zanx isn't the Zanx I knew a few weeks ago; he changed overnight...and it was like someone else was inside him, everything was different and he seemed to forget simple things and conversations we have had recently" her face became saddened as the reality had dawned upon her. "Your right, it isn't him."

Everett smiled and apologised "I am sorry I had to treat you somewhat harsh, but I had to hear it from you without interference."

Krystal finally smiled back "It's ok, we would have done the same thing...where does this leave us General?"

Everett gave her some information, but not all "We'll just let him sweat for a while thinking that something is going on with you, and see what happens" Krystal nodded.

"Everett; can I ask you something...if the person at one end dies, what happens to the other?"

He answered her with the truth "The body cannot survive without the mind..." Then told her the plan; "I need you to tell him what is happening when we drop out of FTL, we will only have about ten seconds; I'll fill you in on what to say..."

Krystal was standing next to Zanx as Destiny dropped from FTL; she quickly told him what happened and that they will help; Zanx told Krystal he was on some kind of ship in against his will...

A few seconds after the com opened with Chloe's voice "Where here Sir; the gate is in range" like nothing had changed.

Everett radio Greer "Sergeant, you have a go"

Greer, who had an organized team waiting in the gate room, replied "Rodger that Sir, moving out" and the gate flashed to life.

Everett made a general announcement "Attention all personal: shortly Sergeant Greer and his team will be arriving with approximately 200 refugees from the farming planet. They will be escorted to the communal area where they will be kept under watch, until the Ori have passed or been neutralized. No one other than the authorised personal is allowed to have access to them, other than being polite when they board the ship; remember, they probably have never been on a ship before: Young out."

Krystal had left Zanx and was now with Everett "Can I help in some way General, I don't want to be around _him._"

Everett called Nick on the com "Dr Rush, can Krystal be of any help?"

Brody was nodding his head like crazy, seeing that he had a bit of a crush on her; Nick looked at him and shook his head rolling his eyes, but answered "Why not, send her up."

Krystal beamed a huge smile; she wanted to get to know more about the ship and technology within it "Thank you Dr Rush!" she said loud enough for him to hear on the com, and left quickly after saying goodbye.

* * *

><p>1stSgt. Greer scoped out the village 200 metres in the distance then turned his attention to Sgt. Wallace, who was studying the movement scanner.<p>

"What have we got Sergeant?" asked Greer quietly.

"Sir, it looks like most of the villages are in hiding; maybe they know where coming" replied Wallace.

"Ok, take two men and circle around back; oh, and Sergeant, don't shoot anyone; where here to help, not scare them" Greer smiled at his new recruit.

"Copy that Sir; we'll be careful" they punched the ends of their fists together; he took the men and headed off.

Greer called out in a course whisper "Stevens, Anders; watch the gate, the rest of you with me..." and they headed off in plain sight.

A quick message came through Greer's earpiece a short time later "In position Sir."

"Good work Sergeant...Just entering now" he replied as they walk carefully into the deserted village.

Greer looked around and then called out "Hello! Anyone here; we're not here to hurt you, just talk..."

A door squeaked open and a lone man walked out "I am Andrew; what is your business here?"

Greer was in no mood to negotiate and got straight to the point "Andrew; I am Sergeant Greer of the starship Destiny. We are here to help you escape the Ori who are on their way; they will force you to convert to a religion called Origin, if you refuse they usually start killing people until you do..."

"Say I believe you Sergeant Greer; we are simple farmers, what could they possibly want with us?" asked Andrew with scepticism.

"Sir, they want anyone they can get; they don't care who, they just want to convert everyone they find for their own purpose. We are here because we have sworn an oath to uphold a peoples' right of free will; once they have passed you will be welcome to return to your homes" Ron laid it out as straight as he could.

Andrew mulled it over for a moment before asking with reason "Put yourself in my place Sergeant Greer; would you believe me?"

Greer remained calm but in control "Andrew, I don't wish to press the point, but all of you are in great danger; the Ori hold enormous power over people and force you to their way. I am not telling you to come with us; all I am offering is a safe passage for a few short days, to avoid a lifetime of oppression for your families and community..."

General Decca Traise stepped out of the doorway now dressed in local clothing, over the top of his ragged uniform "Andrew, I know of the tyrants he speaks of; he is correct, they will not rest until all of us follow Origin. They will continue to burn people alive until we surrender to their way...I believe you, Sergeant Greer" he said in an upstanding way, before pleading with the community leader:

"Please Andrew, we must do as they ask; they have the ability to help us or they wouldn't be here asking..." he spoke with urging empathy in his voice.

Andrew looked at the man he had help save from the crash; Decca had earned his trust, although he remained someone called John Smith to them: "Ok John, I trust you...call the others."

Greer's earpiece rang to life "Sir! We have incoming Ori fighters, ETA less than five minutes..." yelled Stevens into the mic.

Greer called back "Stevens, calm down! They don't know we're here; we still have the element of surprise, and the Prior inhibitor. Get under cover and hold your positions, we'll need your support shortly..."

The villagers started to come out from the barn basement they were hiding in and went to get their possessions, before Greer stopped them calling to Andrew: "Andrew, they don't have time, their fighters will be here in minutes...get everyone to the gate; NOW!" he yelled.

Greer tapped his com "Stevens, Anders; open the gate to Destiny!" as he tried to hurry the people toward the now opening stargate.

Ronald's concentration was thrown for a moment when Andrew's wife started screaming for her young son: "Dale, Dale, where are you...Please Dale; come out we have to leave!" she ran up to Sgt. Greer "My son, he is only young and scared; you have to help me find him...please..." she pleaded with him.

Andrew was caught up in the commotion of people rushing their way to the gate, and could not reach her; Greer radioed Sgt. Wallace to start searching when Decca came up to them saying:

"Jenny, I think I might know where he is hiding; Sergeant, I'll go get him; you get these people out of here..." he yelled as he rushed off.

Greer called Sergeant Wallace "Wallace, keep your eye out for a big guy with a bald head; thinks he knows where the kid is..."

Wallace radioed back "See him Sir, we'll let him find the kid; we might scare him too much..." as the trio ran to keep up with the extremely fit Decca.

Two Ori fighters slipped past as Decca, Wallace, and the other two men made it unseen to the tree line: "The boy has a hideout beside that big tree; it would be better if I just go alone..."

"Ok, we'll cover from here" said Sgt. Wallace, as they took up defensive positions.

A few seconds later, Decca appeared with a frightened young boy in his arms; Wallace quietly warned them "Down, get down..." as another fighter flew overhead "Sergeant Greer, what's the status at the gate, over?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

Greer called from his hidden position with Stevens in the same whisper; "There all through, just me and Stevens here; the Prior inhibitor is active and the other surprise is set...how far are you?"

Two ships put down two hundred yards from Wallace in a clearing "Where in the tree line half a click Norwest of the gate; gona take a few to get 'round, two ships landed about 200 yards away, at least six men on the ground, heavily armed; no Prior yet."

Greer looked at Stevens who also reflected the same "Don't see one at this end, but the gate is still active, they'll head this way."

They had managed to move about 150 metres and we're now in line of sight to the gate.

The young boy asked for his mom; Decca replied gently "Shhhh, Dale you need to stay quiet so the bad men don't hear us, it's like a game ok?" he nodded without a word.

Wallace looked at his men; "Jones, get them to the gate; Peters, we're gona stir the hornets' nest, switch to plasmas." Flicking the radio, "Sergeant, we have no choice their headed your way; diversion time."

Greer knew what he was up too; the next thing he saw was Wallace and Peters start blasting at the soldiers on the ground. Their armour was no match for plasma rifles and they all quickly fell; in the commotion Decca, Dale, and Jones reached the gate as the fighters began shooting from above at them. Jones got knock over by a blast, Stevens leapt out of cover and dragged him to the gate as the fighters circled back for another run; Decca sent Dale through the gate to the relief of his parents, with Stevens as he carried an unconscious Jones through.

Greer yelled at him "Go through!"

Decca jumped to cover yelling "No, you may need my help!"

As Wallace and Peters fled toward the gate more blast from the fighters rang out; Sgt. Wallace was thrown in the air as the hot searing pain from his leg took hold. Dazed but not out, he tried to get up as Decca who was now closest, ran to his aid; Peters didn't see Wallace fall until he reached the gate. Traise lifted Wallace like he weighed nothing over his shoulder and ran for the gate. Greer yelled out to Peters as he fired his plasma rifle at the fighters firing upon them, to help; but Decca already had him and made the gate before Peters could turn back. They all went through the gate together and fell onto the floor inside Destiny.

General Decca Traise stood up as the medics took Wallace, and looked around at the ship; smiling to himself he said under his breath; "Mission accomplished."

Everett grabbed Peters by the shoulder

"Private, where's Sergeant Greer?"

The gate was still open as Cpl. Stevens came up to Everett "Sir, he said he had something to do first..."


	20. Chapter 20

Finally we have come to the end of series 03, but not the end of this story... As you can see by the title it is a two part episode, as the next one begins season 04. To save you all from getting new alerts etc, I will continue through this story; with any luck s04 e01 will be finished by next week and posted. *This story contains course language and strong scenes of violence in places; you have been warned*.

SGU s03 e20

Callous pt 1

Sergeant Greer stood at the open gate with his plasma rifle facing the Prior who had just landed. The Prior inhibitor was working unknown to the Ori, removing the Prior's hold over Greer.

It had began; no longer would the Tau'ri and other races be afraid of the Ori, and First Sergeant Greer was about to give them the bad news.

Greer turned on his radio so Destiny could hear and yelled:

"No longer will we be afraid of the Ori: No longer will you cause tyranny to defenceless peoples: No longer will Origin be the way. There is change coming, and the Tau'ri will be the leaders of that change. So I give you fair warning; return to your own galaxy, and let the free will of others reign."

The Prior laughed along with his men, and then snapped back to authority "You dare to challenge the power of the Ori?"

Greer stepped one foot back into the gate to keep it active, having been on for ten minutes now; he discretely snapped a small cylinder into the side of his modified plasma rife, and aimed at one of the Ori ships three hundred metres away and said with quiet intent:

"Yeah, I do!" he fired.

The plasma blast cut straight through the shields like they didn't exist, and ripped a hole clean through the fighters hull causing it to erupted in flames; the sight stunned all of them into cowering low to the ground, except for Ron and the Prior.

Greer looked at the Prior who was shocked that their shields had failed, and used the first movie line that came to him. He pressed the small button on the transmitter ring on his finger and jumped backward into the gate, saying loud enough for the Prior to hear;

"Yippy Ki Yay Muthafucker..."

* * *

><p>From space a two hundred kilometre radius sphere of blue lightening energy radiated outward from the planet surface, where Greer had just been standing; the Valeyian E.M.P device, didn't kill the Prior or his men: just the ones unlucky enough to be flying ships in range, which fell out of the sky. The Prior inhibitor had also exploded from the blast.<p>

1stSgt. Greer fell on his back in Destiny's gate room to the applause of everyone standing there.

Captain Scott reached down and helped him up saying "I couldn't have said it better myself!"

Ron smiled at Matt and also Everett who had joined them; "Was cool hey...you should have seen the Prior's face when I shot through their shields; _thank you Castell_!" said Greer

Everett put his hand on Ron shoulder saying "Yippy Ki Yay..." he laughed; "Bruce Willis would have been proud."

Lisa ran up to him and hugged him with kisses "I thought I'd lost you..." her tears of sadness turned to tears of joy.

Ronald held her in his strong arms and said softly "I'm not going anywhere babe..."

Greer let go of Lisa and turned to Decca who was still standing with young Dale's mother; he walked over to him and put out his hand "Thanks..." nodding his head to hold back showing emotion.

Decca just smiled and nodded once; he was finally on Destiny with some of his men. Now his real intentions were coming to light; gain their trust, and use it to take over the ship. One thing that stuck in his mind was saving young Dale, and the look of gratitude on his mother's face; Decca had truly lived up to his word of defending this family, and unknown to his crew he would deliver all of these people safely back to their own planet after Destiny was his. Somewhere inside him, Ra's torture had failed to take everything that he was; Decca was cold blooded and callous, but would never hide directly behind a child or use one as a soldier: he considered that act to be the mark of a coward.

Orders were given to escort the people to the community hall; Andrew was the only exception as he stayed with Everett to find out what was going to happen.

Sgt. Greer introduced him to his General "Andrew, this is General Everett Young military Commander of Destiny."

Andrew shook Everett's hand saying "I don't exactly know what to say; thank you for risking your peoples' lives to collect us, we would have been defenceless against the Ori."

Everett smiled warmly at Andrew "You can thank Captain Tez; she was the one who alerted us to your predicament."

Tez came into the gate room and immediately walked up to Andrew and hugged him "Oh, thank the Vale'ions your safe..." she said happily to him.

Andrew looked at the woman who he had come to know well over the years "Tez, what happened; how did all this come about? We've never had so much violence on our planet before...Your people are they ok?"

Tez couldn't keep it together much longer and finally broke down in tears; unable to speak she held onto Andrew for her life: Everett filled him in.

"Andrew...her planet was hit first by the Ori; they annihilated their world and killed everyone they could. We don't know if there are any other survivors, but I have two more ships on the way to find out; I'm sure there are, we will find them and help to rebuild their lives."

Andrew held his sad friend and looked at Everett with a steely determination "You find them; you give them back what has been taken; and stop this destruction of good people!" anger was building within him.

"I promise to do everything within our power to stop the Ori, once and for all; you have my word" replied Everett with just as much dedication.

Chloe called on the com "General, we need to leave...do you want me to set an intercept course with the Ori?"

"No; head to the Fildara system and scan for survivors, we'll take on the Ori when Apollo and the Ursini get here, we have too many people onboard to risk it."

Tez had regained her composure and asked to show Andrew around; Everett agreed as the blur of FTL came over Destiny.

Andrew looked around "What was that?" he asked startled

Tez explained in a way he would understand "The ship travels faster than light; the blur is like a time delay as we break past light speed...it's sort of like the sonic crack of your rifle bullet breaking the sound barrier."

Andrew just looked around him at the ship "Faster than light...amazing"

Tez said to him "Do you want to see what it looks like?" she led him to the observation deck...

Decca and his men were now in Destiny's community hall along with the other farming families; his men knew the plan well, wait until the off shift when most were asleep and then find some very high quality hostages. Once again he waited patiently for the right moment; he settled down and got some sleep, Andrew's wife looked at the man who had saved her son:

"Poor man, he always seems to be sleeping..."

* * *

><p>Everett had now turned his attention to a different person, one who was under the influence of communication stones. Zanx was resting on his bed as the door opened: three masked men burst in and arrested him, and covered his head with a black hood. Destiny had detected a signal coming from his room and notified the bridge.<p>

When the hood was removed, Zanx found himself in a small interrogation room; facing him were two people in space suits with darkened visors. There was silence before he heard distorted voices in the distance; unable to tell where they came from.

"We know you are not Zanx" said a female sounding voice.

Zanx looked at them and said "What do you mean, why am I here?"

"We know your communication stone was destroyed in the Fildaran ship" said the deeper voice.

Zanx began to laugh; "You're too late I'm afraid...What's with the suits, to scared to show yourselves?"

The first voice answered "No. You are in a room that has a controllable atmosphere; have you noticed it is starting to get cold?"

Zanx didn't give in "No I'm fine..." he suddenly started to feel lighter than air.

"That is the artificial gravity being turned off; next will be the air... Only you can stop this."

Zanx looked at them hard "Fuck you; you will all be dead soon enough!" the person on his right pressed there arm control and he heard a hissing sound.

He looked at them "You'll be killing Zanx too; I know how the stones work..." he said calmly feeling the effects of the air venting into space.

"We don't want you dead; that would be too easy..." said the second voice

Zanx could feel the first signs of air depletion and hypoxia; he breathed heavily "You...won't ...do...it"

His breathing was made more difficult without gravity too "Zanx...will...die...too"

The woman in the suit was having a hard time watching what was happening, but wouldn't let on as the safe oxygen level dropped well below the 20.9 percent it should be.

Zanx could no longer talk and gasped horribly as his nose and ears began to slowly bleed; finally his head slumped forward. Destiny rapidly replaced the air and gravity in the room the moment she detected the shift in consciousness; the link was broken. A medical team on standby rushed into the room and attended to a barely alive Zanx; Krystal removed her helmet:

"Is he going to live?" she asked with despair.

Amanda replied quickly "He is weak, but he should recover...and he is himself."

Everett took off his helmet saying "I'm really sorry you had to see that Krystal, but there is no other way to break the connection without using the gate; it's just a shame he wouldn't give us any more information, we still don't know who or what..."

On Decca's Ha'taks ship hiding in the folds of space, a man fell forward strapped to a seat; blood drained from his orifices as the men around quickly tried to resuscitate him, but to no avail.

One of them spoke "They must have taken the air away from him to break the connection; I doubt Zanx would have survived either…hahahaha…oh well; too bad!" they laughed callously at the thought of Zanx's death...

Krystal leaned over Zanx and gave him a small kiss on the head "Hi stranger, how are you feeling?"

Zanx tried to smile at the girl he was crazy about, unbeknown to Krystal "Like shit…what…happened?"

A tear formed in Krystal's eye and ran down "We had to save you; they had control of you through communication stones…"

Amanda and T.J walked over to him "Hello Zanx, I'm Amanda and this is Tamara; you can call her T.J. The stones weren't the only things causing you problems; we found a memory suppressor in the back of your neck, which would have been how this started. Can you remember anything at all?"

Zanx tried to think, but on fragments returned "I was on the planet…CVX-367A…with…Krystal…when I was…grabbed from behind…while taking plant…samples…but that's all…I can…remember…"

Krystal looked at Amanda somewhat surprised "That planet…it's the farming planet!"

T.J jumped to the com "General, can you come to the infirmary, its urgent."

Everett was in his room with Te'arly who was trying to get some sleep, as she said "Go my love, everybody needs you tonight…"

Everett cuddled her and kissed her gently "I'm sorry…I love you, back soon"

Te'arly smiled warmly with her eyes shut "Me too…"

* * *

><p>Everett walked to the infirmary, passing Eli and Ginn on the way; the halls of Destiny were almost empty as most of the crew got some rest before arriving at the Fildaran planet; "Good night General, see you in a few hours" said a very tired Eli...<p>

General Traise nodded at his right hand man, who quietly passed on the order. He went to Andrew who was still awake, telling him that he had important news to tell General Young about the Ori; Andrew agreed to his request and asked the guards to let them out...

The two new recruits didn't know what hit them as Decca's men took them out silently, using a small fast acting toxin that rendered them unconscious for any number of hours.

Andrew turned around at the sound of someone falling "John! What is going on?"

Decca answered calmly as his man handed him the private's pistol and spare magazines "There has been a slight change in plans Andrew" as he checked there was a round in the chamber; "I want you to stay with your people, and look after them; when this is all over, I promise to return all of you to the village. Now go back inside, and tell everyone all is well; this shouldn't take too long..."

The four of them split up into two and two, with Decca heading down the hall to the nearest CI screen "James, disable the internal sensors in the mid and forward section..." he ordered.

James listed them as under maintenance to avoid suspicion from Destiny and the crew; they heard voices from the hall behind them.

"Eli, come on; I'm tired baby...stop it..." as she giggled:

Traise and James snuck around the corner and spotted them; they jumped out pointing guns at Eli and Ginn, as Eli had Ginn up against the wall and didn't see.

Ginn jumped in absolute fright at the sight of the most feared man in the Lucian Alliance "Eli!"

Eli jump back and turned just as Decca walked up to him "Hello Eli; and who do we have here...hmmm let me guess, you would be Ginn...the traitor. Well Ginn the traitor...why don't you tell Eli who I am...yes?"

Ginn stammered the words out "G...G...General Decca...Traise" Eli could sense untold fear in her voice.

Traise was menacing but Eli wouldn't back down "What do you want; you know Destiny can see and hear everything...it won't be long before they get here..." he tried to sound tough.

Decca smiled and back handed Eli across the face, knocking him against the bulkhead wall causing his nose to bleed "I ask the questions Eli, you give me the answers or Ginn gets to die twice; but not before James and I make you watch as we have some fun with her first...do you remember Ginn?"

Eli gazed in question at Ginn who only had extreme fear in her eyes; she stared back without speaking, her eyes begging "no, I didn't..."

Decca watch the question in Eli without words "Oh, I see Ginn...you didn't tell him... Maybe I should; you see Eli...we use to be together, Ginn and me...oh, she was such a dirty girl, and so much fun..." Decca grabbed Ginn by the face and planted a soft kiss on her lips...

Eli's blood boiled as Ginn silently whimpered and cried; when Decca released her, Ginn spat in his face; he pulled out the pistol and put it to Ginn's head. James was holding a gun on Eli as Decca wiped his face with his sleeve.

"Oh Ginn, I should kill you for that...What do you think Eli, should I kill her for that?" Ginn could feel nothing but panic as Eli answered in slow motion;

"I'll do it, anything you need, I'll do it; please just don't hurt her" Eli's tears hit the floor along with his blood; Traise pistol whipped Ginn across the face, fracturing her jaw and breaking her nose.

Eli screamed "Noooooo" as she crumpled to the deck semiconscious.

"That was your warning Eli; next time she dies..." Decca put the 9mm away...

A tired Everett stood at Zanx's bed as T.J explained what he said; he was still awake and had remembered a few fragments more.

"Four men...crashed ship...big guy..." he passed out again.

Everett looked at Krystal "Does that make sense to you?"

Krystal suddenly put it together "Dale, the little boy...he told me that four men had crashed an alien ship on the planet a couple of days before we arrived; no one else mentioned it..." she ran the scenario through her mind "He said they told everyone that someone was chasing them and they needed to hide."

Everett was looking at the story as a military plan "So they hid them in plain sight, unaware of their intentions..." he got on the com in discrete mode and called Rush, Scott and Greer to the bridge."

On the bridge a few minutes later Everett told them what he knew; "Krystal said she also picked up strange energy readings from an empty corner of the field. My guess would be a second Tel'tak in cloak."

Matt said "That would make sense; they would have been the ones to grab Zanx."

Nick was thinking outside the square "So...what if they fake a crash, stay with the villagers, and then get on Destiny just before an Ori invasion; meantime we have several undercover signals go off the ship to somewhere... My question is; how did they get the Ori to find that planet, and get us to go there in the first place?"

Greer added "The big guy, the one they call John...he has defiantly had some kind of military training, the way he picked up Sgt. Wallace...was to perfect..."

* * *

><p>Everett had a theory "They have a Ha'taks with a Ur'torina drive; they could hide in the folds of space undetected...even the Ori can't catch them in there; all reports from the detectives working with SGC, I.O.C, and the Fifth Alliance say a large man of solid stature. Our spies have said he is known as General Decca Traise; by all accounts he is capable of anything, at any cost...I think we may have inadvertently let him onboard Destiny..." Everett's mind darkened with the thoughts of what Castell had warned about.<p>

Matt spoke "So he would be here to finish what the Alliance started; take control of Destiny."

Nick had another idea "If they were hiding, chances are they knew where the Ori were too; and led them to this side of the galaxy to find the inhabited planets. I think Zanx was just a target of opportunity to maybe get a spy onboard Destiny and tip off the Ori to the farming planet. The distress signal on Tez's ship could have been picked up by the Ori, why wasn't it?"

Greer made a statement "General, even if half of this is true, it's extremely complex and full of possible holes..."

Everett responded "From all reports; so was the theft of the drive plans...this Decca is very capable; Greer, I want an immediate double up of the guards at the community room."

Ron radioed his marines "Corporal Stevens this is Greer, please respond"

The radio responded after a few moments "Would that be Sergeant Ronald Greer I'm speaking too?"

Matt and Everett sprang into action; Nick hit the CI screen to check out the systems; Ron answered "Who is this?"

"HAHAHAHA...haven't you worked it out yet? How about I let you ask a friend?" Decca put Eli on with a warning "One wrong word and bye, bye Ginn" he pressed the button "Greer, it's Eli; his name is General Decca Traise...they got Ginn!" he screamed as Decca gave him another back hand. "Now, Sergeant, as you heard we also have his traitorous girlfriend; let's make a simple trade:"

"You give me Destiny; I give you a lovely planet with a gate, freedom, and Eli and Ginn intact and alive...how does that sound?"

Everett took the radio "No deal Traise..."

Traise got infuriated "Fuck off Everett! I was talking to Sgt. Greer, your new negotiator...now put him back on or Eli dies right now!"

Greer took the radio back, "Sorry Sir" he said to Everett "I'm here...General" he snarled.

"Good, now that's better; so do we have a deal?" he asked fully knowing the answer to come.

Ron looked at Everett who nodded "General Traise...Even Eli knows the way this works; as much as I care for both of them, I cannot give you the ship."

Traise stayed calm expecting the answer "Very well" he held the radio on but turned away "Sorry Eli, they said no" the next thing the crew heard was a single gun shot...

"Oh Jesus!" cried Greer as he dropped the radio on the floor.

Chloe was sitting in Kirks chair and screamed at all of them "What the fuck have you done! He just killed Eli!"

Nick who stayed calm through the whole conversation knew better "No, not yet he hasn't; Destiny wouldn't let anyone else lock out the bridge controls..."

Everett yelled back "Chloe...are you still linked with the ship?" he turned to Matt, "Get Amanda on the line, we need her help..."

Chloe thought for a moment "General, Eli is safe for now...but he is shutting down Destiny's internal defences; we'll try and stop him..." she fell into an almost trancelike state and then came too with terrifying words "get me to the chair; now!"

Everett cried out "Rush get that door opened!" it opened as he said it.

Matt grabbed Chloe who had gone somewhat weak from the fight "Are you ok?"

"I'm just a bit weak, get me to the interface chair..." he rushed out of the bridge as three marines ran in;

Greer yelled orders "Secure the bridge at all cost guys..." as he radioed his other men on an emergency frequency only to have a scary message come back.

"Sir our armoury has been hit, three men are down... They took vests, weapons and ammo."

They had reached the interface chair room and ran inside, with Matt placing Chloe in the chair; he gave her a small kiss;

"Are you sure about this Chloe?"

She nodded "Do it, it's the only way I can help..." Matt looked at Nick who was standing at the computers; he nodded his head.

Rush activated the chair as the prongs tapped into Chloe's mind; her world went quiet as she walked out of the interface room to find Lady Destiny standing there. She looked like she was cold hugging her arms around herself.

"Help me Chloe...I'm getting a virus..."

* * *

><p>Traise had gotten Eli to upload a program to destroy Destiny's "cognitive thought process" and remove "her" from the computer systems. Although Eli had to do as told he very cleverly and quickly encoded a key to get Chloe into the system; he figured that she would be connected in Kirks chair and would know what to do; he figured right.<p>

Decca on the other hand now had half an arsenal at his disposal, but had sent his men on another mission in the crew area. They took out several of Destiny's men and made their way to the crew quarters in search of a far greater prize; with Destiny unable to warn anyone, they easily penetrated the area and found their target. Entering the room they quickly injected a mild sedative, just enough for a short time to remove them; Decca's ace up his sleeve.

With Eli's work done, he took him back to Ginn and stood outside the door "Now Eli, consider this your lucky day; since you did cooperate with me I'll let you two be together..." Eli gasped when the door opened and he looked at Ginn, bleeding and tied up on the bed "You can finish what you two started if you like; we've got her all tied up for you, so do what you want with the traitorous bitch...hahahaha" Decca locked the door.

Ginn howled as much as she could with her injuries and gag "I...m...soo...ry...I'm...sor...ry" she tried to say through her crying; Eli untied her and took out the gag, crying himself while trying to console her from the horrific pain she was in, mentally and physically: "They didn't touch me, apart from tying me up..." she said to ease his concern "That stuff he said about me and him; it was all lies Eli to hurt you...please believe me."

Through the tears of his heart seeing what they had done to his beloved Ginn broke Eli; he had never experienced pain on this scale ever in his life. He kissed her softly on the head as he held his weeping goddess in his arms;

"I love you love you love you sooo much...I'm sooo sorry I couldn't protect you; this is my fault not yours... Of course I believe you" that was the turning point in Eli's life; he poured some water on a towel and very gently cleaned around Ginn's face as his mind raced through every scenario...

Chloe was having better luck inside Destiny's systems; the two of them had managed to restrict the virus away from her identity files and main cortex. They started work on an antivirus to clean it up and slowly took back control of Destiny's main functions; Eli had been cleaver enough to allow small key holes in the virus for them to destroy it from within. Chloe was able to get the bridge back online and most of Destiny's sensors; all was going well until they hit the sensor array for Eli's quarters, and saw what was going on.

Chloe fell forward sick to her stomach with Lady Destiny catching her "Oh God no! What have they done to them?"

Eli sat on the bed with a pistol in his shaking hand; he had kept it under the bed and forgotten all about it in the mayhem; Greer had taught him well on how to use it with holograms, but Eli had never fired at a real person before. Destiny and Chloe could now sense what he felt; sitting in the interface chair Chloe's nose started to bleed and her eyes teared as she used every part of her consciousness, creating a hologram of herself in Eli's room while still fighting for Destiny...

"Rush she's bleeding, get her outa there" yelled Matt;

"I can't turn it off; Chloe is in control" he yelled back...

"Eli...this isn't the way..." said Chloe

He looked up at the fragmented image "Chloe?" he said even more confused

"Eli, I'm...in...in...the...interface chair" the hologram flickered "We have contained the virus thanks to you Eli, you saved Destiny" trying to give him hope.

Eli's shoulders slumped as he played restlessly with the gun "But look what they have done to Ginn" she sat up and looked at Chloe; who put her hand to her mouth in shock "They beat her Chloe; how does she live with that?"

"Eli I'm sorry and don't know how, but getting yourself killed is not the answer; Ginn needs you more than ever, now!" Chloe flickered again

"Unlock the door Chloe or Destiny; whoever you are..."

Ginn spoke "Let him go..." she didn't want Eli to see her like this; Ginn was strong and knew she would survive.

The door opened; Eli looked at Chloe "Not this time..." he carefully made his way out headed towards help...

Greer's men had managed to take down two of Decca's; but not him or James. It was Everett that got the radio call;

"Oh, General Young; I think I may have something that belongs to you... let me see, it's very beautiful and... Oh, maybe pregnant..."

Everett's heart fell to the floor...and shattered; he screamed through his gritted teeth into the radio;

"YOU'RE A FUCKING DEAD MAN TRAISE!"

"HAHAHAHA... Oh that's funny; give me Destiny and she lives. By the way Ev, she is really pretty; her breasts are nice a firm in my hands..."

Everett smashed the radio against the wall in rage; Chloe came too in the chair as Destiny took control back over everything and destroyed the virus, all her systems came back online. She immediately sealed Decca, James and Te'arly in the gate room and informed the crew; all gate room systems were locked out, they had nowhere to run. If not for Te'arly, Destiny would have just vented the room immediately.

Sgt Greer got on the radio "Give it up Traise, you got nowhere to go; the room is locked down"

"Oh, well you seem to forget I have a rather important hostage... How about you send Everett down here and will sort this out man to man?" he said in a smug way...

Eli made it to one of the gate room doors after sending Amanda and T.J to Ginn; he could see Traise holding Te'arly and James at the CI attempting to get the gate working. Eli decided he would have a better chance from the service door and made his way around; he checked the pistol was loaded and safety off, then waited for the moment.

Traise stood in front of the gate holding Te'arly, his arm outstretched with a pistol; what he didn't let on was that he was down to his last clip which had only seven rounds remaining. He figured one was all he needed.

Marines were now at every doorway in full battle gear; Everett ordered the doors open and stood in plain sight:

"Well General Traise, what now?" he asked looking hard into his eyes

Te'arly lifted her head slightly, still feeling the effects of the sedation; although she was standing by her own accord. She smiled at Everett, before crying softly; she was powerless to defend herself against Traise.

"It seems we have a situation General Young; I have something of value, and so do you: give me Destiny and I'll let all of you leave.

Everett shook his head "You know we tried to figure out how all this come about; Zanx under control of the stones, the Ori just showing up, a ship crashing on a planet... Oh, and a blip on our screens from time to time. It's funny; two people from a far less advanced race than both of us put this together, enough that we could work it out. So, how about this deal; I'll dial the gate back to the farming planet, and you can leave without Te'arly in your hidden Tel'tak. You would be long gone before we could get back"

Rush was watching on the screen from the bridge "Franklin, pull up the gate diagnostics quickly..."

Nick looked over it "Damn it;" he quickly said "I was going to try and block Te'arly from going through; but it needs to be done at the gate!"

Back in the gate room James was now hiding behind some cargo with his weapon aimed at Everett's head; from where Greer and his men were, they couldn't get a clear shot. Then Greer spotted Eli with the pistol; he had the drop on James. As Greer looked at Eli, their eyes meet as he spotted him and stared back hard. Greer could see the look in Eli's eyes, they were filled with anger and pain at the man in his sights; Ronald gave him the nod of approval, Eli focused his anger and aim.

James had Everett in his sights and waited for the word, giving Decca a signal he could see from the corner of his eye.

"Oh Everett, but I have one surprise left for you;" a lone shot rang out.

Eli stood with the gun pointed at Decca's head as James's lifeless body slumped to the floor, the blood oozing from the hole in the back of his skull.

Decca spun around with his gun at Te'arly's head "Go on Eli...are you that good?" he yelled with anger as he heard the marines lock onto him from all directions; Destiny dropped from FTL and immediately he said "Open the fucken gate or she dies"

Everett did as he asked; the gate spun around as Decca moved both of them forward to avoid the wormhole stabilizing. Every gun in the room was trained on him as Everett stood there un-armed; Traise weighed up the odds and let go of Te'arly who just stood there facing Everett, while Decca pointed the gun at her.

Everett ordered "Let him go..."

General Decca Traise was beaten and back into the gate with one foot "I told you I had one more surprise Everett":

He leapt backward into the gate as he fired the pistol...

Te'arly stood there and put her hands to her chest, as her eyes widened when she started to fall; her world went into slow motion as she heard Everett scream;

"!" he rushed and caught her before she hit the deck, cradling her in his arms.

She looked at him with her dying breath, as the blood poured over him from her ruptured aorta;

"Love...you" her head slumped.

Everett, kneeling on the floor with her dead body in his arms, let out a primordial scream:

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHRRRRRRRR!"


	21. Series 04 e01

Welcome everyone to series 04 of SGU. I was overwhelmed with p/m's and a few comments, not to mention the 400 reads (over 1000 hits) in only 3 days. I want to thank everyone for reading so far and I hope the vast majority of you have enjoyed it. This episode was nearly finished when I posted s03e20, and a lot of you were touched (good and bad) by the ending; for the record, it was difficult to write bad things happening to good characters, especially ones I love myself... Epp 02 will be a couple of weeks away due to some holidays (yea!), but it is underway. So enough of this; please enjoy the continuation, and new season...

SGU s04 e01

Callous pt II

The gate closed as Decca laughed falling out the other side on the farming planet "That will piss him off a bit" he said to his awaiting crew.

One of Decca's men said "I guess it didn't go so well then..."

Decca turned and shot him in the head without hesitation; "No, it didn't fuckwit" he looked at his other men "let's get out of here, leave the body..." they walked off toward the now visible Tel'tak.

Back on Destiny Everett was still in shock; everyone standing around was speechless aside from some whimpers, at the sight before them;

Suddenly, the gate room went dark, as the emergency lighting came on;

The ship started shaking and vibrating; Everett couldn't care or didn't notice: he just knelt there gently rocking his soulmate's body sobbing endlessly. A ghostly white light lit up the gate room; it was followed by a golden silhouette of a lady on horseback, which appeared to ride around the room. The white light began to take form in front of Everett at his lowest ebb; it soon morphed into a lady with long brown hair, slim figure and the deepest grey-blue eyes. Everett looked up as the Ascended Lady Destiny, came to mend his shattered soul;

"Hello my darling Everett, it wasn't supposed to end this way..."

* * *

><p>The silhouette turned into a golden mist that circled through the room, then toward Everett; it seemed to pause hovering as though looking at him and Te'arly, before gently wrapping itself around Everett.<p>

"Ohh..." he gasped at the unconditional love passing through his body, as Te'arly's eternal sprit energy engulfed him.

Everyone around stood astounded as Lady Destiny graciously knelt down and received Te'arly's body from Everett, placing her hand over the wound;

"We know how much you love her, and need her; this wasn't supposed to happen, we want you to have your second chance at love..."she smiled as she allowed Te'arly's healed body to rise up horizontally in front of everyone.

The mist departed a warmed Everett surrounding Te'arly's floating body, forming a brilliant golden halo around her; Lady Destiny eloquently collected her, handing Te'arly back to Everett;

"She will wake to your kiss, my darling Everett..." the words drifting from her abound with unconditional love and compassion.

He leaned forward and kissed her soft lips tenderly; Te'arly's eyes fluttered open as she gasped for breath...

She coughed and spluttered; then her eyes focused on the man she loved "What...hap...pened..."

Everett tears turned to joy "You got hurt, but you're all better now..." he said simply with a face full of tears.

"My back...hurts..." she stammered

"It's ok Baby, you just need some rest..." he gazed at Lady Destiny who was now glowing as a form of pure sprit, with eternal gratitude in his eyes...

One of the hardest marines of all, First Sgt. Ronald Greer wiped a tear from his eye; observing all that was happening he decided to take charge for a while. Everett was in no state to do much at all, with Capt. Scott looking after Chloe from her battle within Destiny also distracted.

He quickly got his men to do a final sweep, as Amanda and T.J, with assistance from others treated and searched for the wounded; he walked up to Everett and spoke carefully and slowly "General; I'm going to take over for a while until you're ok..." Everett smiled and nodded without taking his eyes off his beloved Goddess Te'arly, as Lady Destiny slowly vanished...

Focused on his task at hand of securing the ship, Ronald asked Vanessa: "Lieutenant, the farming people need to be checked; I don't think he would have hurt them...but..." he looked over and pointed "Grab those two as guards...and then tell Andrew what happened..." he then realised that he should of asked her first "Sorry Ma'am...I should have..."

Vanessa cut him off understanding the practicality of their situation "Sergeant, its fine; you're the best man for the job right now, General Young would need you to do this."

Eli walked up to Greer and handed him the gun "You ok Eli?"

Eli shook his head no: "Fuck no... Dumb question...but I gota get back to Ginn..." Eli thought about her in the infirmary for a moment before asking for some unknown reason, "Hey; where's Varro?"

T.J, who was treating a wounded civilian nearby, heard the comment:

"Oh God no!" she jumped up and ran to the directional elevator, punching the buttons to the lab level.

She arrived and flew down the passage and hit the door control; blood trickled out at her feet as she shivered looking at drag marks on the floor:

"NO...NO...NO...NO...NO!" she cried as her heart broke...

Varro was propped up against a bench with the Ancient word for "Traitor" written in his own blood across his forehead; she felt for a pulse...it was faint but still there; she screamed to Destiny, but the sensors were down: Decca had made sure of that. Tamara leapt up and ran to the next room grabbing the radio stashed in the draw; "Man down, Man down! Med lab, three level; urgent help needed..." she cried...

"T.J, this is Greer we're on the way, hang in there..."

T.J did all she could with what she had "Don't you die on me...not after making me fall in love with you... Please Honey, stay with me..." tears were flowing as she held pressure on his wounds...

Eli walked into the infirmary; Ginn was resting with two small white straps across her face. He said quietly "Thank God for the Ursini..."

Ginn opened her eyes "Hey...Sweetie..." she slurred, unable to use her mouth properly.

Eli hid what he was feeling and put her first "It's safe now, he's gone..." he snuffled his tears and slightly running nose "we have the ship back..."

Ginn began to cry with relief, but knew Eli was hiding something from her; after a few minutes, she settled asking "Honey what is it...what's wrong?" thinking it was her she added "I'm going to be fine, and our baby is safe..."

Eli's hand was still shaking "I...I..." he had trouble admitting what he had to do;

"Eli, it's me...tell me baby..." her words of love still slurred.

He looked her in the eye and found the words "I shot James...dead" his eyes began to water with the turmoil inside...

* * *

><p>T.J's world was now in slow-motion as the Marines' rushed their once enemy to the infirmary; Amanda was getting organized to operate, with Camille and Lt. Paterson, who was also a military medic, assisting. They carefully removed the stretcher from under Varro; Camille was at a loss for words as she stared at the four bullet wounds in his body. Hearing Amanda talking, she quickly snapped to;<p>

"Camille!" Amanda raised her voice "The main blood loss is from his liver, but the bullet is still in there; I have to remove the bullet fragments before we can use the healing belt. Take the healing pads with the smaller white belts and cover the wounds in his shoulder and knees to give us time...there all through and throughs. Amanda took a deep breath as Kelly passed her the scalpel;

"Oh God Varro...what have they done to you my friend..."she said quietly beginning to cut...

Chloe was lying on her bed with Matt beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist; she was restless and said "Honey, I gota get back to the bridge, I'm getting a bad feeling about something..."

Matt didn't move "Are you sure...you have been through a lot already..."

Chloe got up and sat on the bed facing him "This isn't over yet; I can feel it..." she got out of bed and lifted her hair, tying it into a bun "Come on soldier boy, get to it..." she smiled and kissed his cheek, then walked out the room; Matt followed.

Matt got on the horn "Greer, what's the status?"

"Hey Captain, nice to hear your back; how's Chloe doing?" Greer said between silent pointed orders to his men.

"Huh...she's back on the bridge: said something about a bad feeling. Scary part is, her bad feelings turn into nightmares for us..." replied Matt "Where's General Young? He didn't answer."

"Matt,_ you don't know?_" Greer stopped in his tracks "Te'arly was shot by Decca as he jumped through the gate; he killed her..."

Matt cut in "Fucking what?"

Greer continued the brief story "Lady Destiny came down and saved her; it was fucking magical to see man, brought tears to my eyes too..." Matt could "hear" Greer's smile through the radio.

"So she's...alive?" a somewhat confused Matt asked.

"Yeah, Gen. Young was a mess, so I told him I'd keep watch; since you were kinda busy too..." Greer chuckled in disbelief at the whole situation that had played out.

Matt asked "Where are you now?"

"At the first armoury...and Sir, we got casualties... Meet me here; I'll fill you in, Greer out."

Chloe took back her seat from Dr Rush, who had asked Destiny to perform a standard shields and weapons check; it wasn't long before Chloe's bad feelings paid off.

Dr Rush turned to the others on the bridge "Houston, we've had a problem; it seems the forward shield generator bank is offline. We have less than five percent protection over the first twenty five metres of the ship..."

Brody raised his eyebrows "Can we fix it here?" he asked slowly expecting a no in return.

Rush lost his temper "Dr Brody, do you think I might have checked that before I'd even tell you?"

Franklin piped up "Rush! We're all in this mess together remember; what do we need to fix it?" he said more factually.

Nick hated being right, but knew he should have kept his cool "I can't tell from here..."

Chloe cut in "Three capacitors and maybe four or five crystal power chips; there maybe some circuit damage also. Spare parts are..."she paused "next to the stasis pod workshop near the Ancient armoury; that area will be well shielded. The forward end of the ship may leak very low levels of radiation with the shield that low, but it should be safe for an hour or so..."

"How longs "or so" Chloe?" asked Franklin

Chloe's eyes opened "We don't know..."

Adam asked the question "So...who is going?"

Franklin nodded "I'll do it; I'm never going to have kids anyway..." he said with a half smile.

Nick nodded "Ok...you'll need help; it's a two man job to lock the capacitors in place."

"Then I'll do it..." Krystal looked at Dr Rush

Nick turned to the professor "That radiation, it could cause you problems...later on with children"

Krystal nodded her understanding "It's my body Dr Rush..." she then asked "What damage will it cause if we don't repair it in time?"

Rush answered "As long as nothing happens, not a great deal; but we can't FTL with less than five percent shields up front. If we were attacked and they hit the area head on...I don't know what would happen; I believe the shields would take the impact up to their overlap point. That would mean the front of the ship could be literally cut off, or worse...I don't really know."

Franklin continued "So you're saying there is a possibility a direct hit, from say the Ori, would get through the shields completely...and we'd be fucked..."

Rush smiled at his correlation "That's about it..."

Krystal gazed at Franklin in understanding "We'd better get going then..."

* * *

><p>A nervous T.J was sitting on the floor with her knees up around her chest, waiting just outside the infirmary. Sgt Greer had suggested it would be best if she wasn't involved; Amanda came out about an hour later and squatted down in front T.J.<p>

"He's stable T.J, but not out of the woods yet..." Amanda wasn't going to give her any happy stories or false hope "He lost over a litre and a half of blood; we had to gave him the equivalent of seven transfusions, but he is responding well now to the healing pads and belts."

T.J just lunged forward and hugged Amanda "Oh God; thank you so much..."

"Would you like to see him?" she asked with a smile...

Tamara sat beside her man holding his hand and speaking softly "I love you so much baby; just get better for me, I'm here for you..." as the tears flowed from her eyes...

Matt stood over the body bags in the gate room, ready for transport to Earth; the final toll was four Marines, two Airman, three civilians two women and one man, and a member of the I.O.C, British man Peter Williams. Cpl Stevens was recovering from his sedation along with Pfc. Murphy who also had been stationed outside the communal area.

Lt Scott looked at Greer asking rhetorically "How the fuck did we let this shit happen...?"

Greer shook his head thinking about the events "Even Eli killed one of their guys and saved General Young; poor kids going to be a mess..."

Matt and Ronald watched on respectfully as the men and women were moved; he gazed at Ron "Freedom always comes at a cost... Usually to us it seems lately..."

Ron turned to Matt "They shot Varro four times; I recon in the shoulder to drop him, then the knees as torture, and the gut to bleed out slowly... Amanda said he's stabilized; if Eli hadn't have said something, he would have bleed to death before we found him."

Matt asked; "How is T.J doin'..."

"Bit of a mess too; seems to be a lot of that today..." said Ron with sadness in his eyes...

Everett held Te'arly tenderly beside him in bed; "I thought I'd lost you forever..."

Te'arly sat up flexing her back, and stared at her love "You nearly did...but it wouldn't be forever; now I know there is an afterlife, and it is amazing..."

Everett was a little taken back "You remember it...being dead?" he asked in amazement

She placed her finger sensually on his lips "Shhhh... My love, that is for you to find out yourself one day; I will tell you this: time has no meaning. It was like being the wind with eyes and ears, but across the universe; now, no more questions..." she lay down on top of him, kissing Everett passionately, then they made love like the first time...

Franklin and Krystal had collected the parts they needed from the cargo area, and were making their way to the forward sections of Destiny.

Krystal asked "Why can't we wear the space suits to stop the radiation?"

"We could, but the capacitors are through a service tunnel, and you won't get in with the suit on" replied Franklin, having replaced one before...

While all this was happening, Nick had informed Matt about the shield issue; they concluded it was all part of Decca's plan, being no reason why they would fail after just being replaced recently.

Franklin reached the confined area first "Oh crap... It looks like they cut some of the main conduit; this could take a while" he reported to Krystal, who radioed the bridge more bad news.

Rush just flicked his head side to side "Fuck that rat barstard!" he said aloud.

Chloe suddenly had a shiver streak through her tired body, that became a knot in her stomach;

"Oh no...!" she exclaimed.

Alarms and sensors went off all around the bridge; Adam Brody realised everyone's greatest fear:

"Ship exiting from hyperspace...Ori mothership!" he said in a panic.

Chloe took natural evasive manoeuvres to shield Franklin and Krystal from any shot; just as the Ori immediately fired on Destiny. Even the ships inertial dampeners struggled as Destiny pulled a massive G rating turn as the Ori blast dissipated harmlessly against the full strength Valeyian enhanced shields along Destiny's side. Although Chloe out manoeuvred the Ori at every turn as they chased, people were still feeling some of the effects; but the shields held at full power without even slight fluctuation.

"Franklin; Krystal...you guys ok?" called Nick as he tried to re-route more shield power to the forward section.

Everett scrambled into the bridge, dragging Te'arly with him as Franklin replied "We're fine for now but I'm getting a bit seasick, what the hell is going on?" he yelled back

Nick looked at Everett as he held the radio "Chloe's out running an Ori mothership; the only way to get a good shot at them is to face them head on..."

There was silence for a moment before "Then stop talking to me and let me finish... If I can get one working it should be enough to suppress several direct hits, or jump to FTL..." the ship lurched violently and threw Krystal on top of Franklin both flat on the floor; her soft cleavage landing in his face:

"Krystal, I like you...but this was more than I expected..." he said jokingly, mumbling from under her.

They both laughed helping each other up and quickly got back to fixing Destiny...

* * *

><p>General Young called Lt Scott "Lieutenant, can we get the fighters out and distract them..." again the ship rocked as Chloe looped over trying to target the Ori ship away from its main weapon. Dr Brody had the systems armed and ready to fire, but couldn't get a lock on the Ori.<p>

"Franklin! Get those shields up!" yelled Rush over the radio;

Krystal answered "Dr Rush, a few more moments..." and with that the forward shield came online; and died again as sparks flew around them, Franklin yelled:

"Damn it... we blew another two crystals..." he took two more out of the bag holding them up to Krystal "Last two...or we gota go back" she nodded.

Franklin rechecked the cables, finding a dislodged connection from the rough flight; they managed to get two capacitors out of three installed, which should be enough for seventy percent power. He slid the crystal circuits into the alien panel...

Rush yelled "We're online at sixty eight percent forward shield and stable..."

Franklin came over the radio "All good for now Rush!" Krystal gave him a hug...

Everett took over "Chloe, slow down, turn and face them; this is the last time we run from these barstards!"

Chloe brought Destiny to a full stop, turning to face the Ori, at a distance of about 10,000 kilometres. Opening all hailing frequencies and the com with a nod to Everett, it wasn't long before the Ori message came through.

"Bow down to Origin and your meagre lives will be spared;" said the Prior

There was silence on the bridge; across the ship everyone listened for the open reply from Everett:

"I am General Everett Young, Commander of Destiny..."

"Go to hell; we bow to no one!"

Everett pressed fire...

The Valeyian databank lit up like never before as if reading Everett's mind, beating the signal from the bridge; at almost the speed of light, it sent a blue pulse of energy that immediately disrupted the Ori shields. It was followed closely by a yellowish white beam from the main weapon, both pulses only a hundred feet apart.

Everett yelled Chloe's name as life seemed to turn into slow motion; she threw Destiny into a dive at full sublight to escape the massive blast radius that was now inevitable.

The Prior didn't know what hit him; fifty megatons of explosive Ancient and Valeyian energy beam weapon obliterated his ship in an instant, from the inside out; Destiny turned in time to see the blurry blue ring and white hot nucleus expand into the vastness of space. Even at a distance of over a million kilometres, it was still blinding; as though a small star had exploded. The percussive wave rocked Destiny slightly, as her shields glowed silvery in colour from the radiation...

Te'arly held onto Everett tightly as the smaller shockwaves passed over. Silence befell Destiny as those who could see stood in awe of the first strike; then joy and cheers erupted from the souls onboard the Ancient ship...

The humans, the Tau'ri; had finally been given the ultimate power to fight back against one of the universe's most difficult and feared enemy, The Ori...

Although the ship was now a noise of people, the cheers had subsided and the grim task of continuing the search for any more wounded or dead still continued. Vanessa had been talking to Andrew and his people for some time now, explaining just who the man they had known as John actually was.

Andrew felt ashamed "I have no words to express our remorse for the injuries and loss of life your people have endured..." he finally said to Vanessa after a few moments of silence "I feel in part that we're also responsible for this heinous act."

Vanessa would not hear of it; "This was the act of a desperate individual, with no concern for any of the lives he impacted upon; yours' or mine!" she passionately affirmed. "You did what all decent people do in a situation; took them at face value while offering assistance. There is nothing to be ashamed of or apologise for, ever."

Andrew gave a slight smile, but these events weighed heavily on his shoulders "Thank you for your kind words Lieutenant James; however, this will be my burden to tolerate..." he looked defeated.

Vanessa clasped his hand in hers and opened her heart "Please Andrew, this is not your doing, or fault, nor is it your peoples' fault; we live or lives out here with risk, everyday. It was _our choice_ to assist you in a time of need, and that man had nothing to do with it; there is no difference about how we came to help. The important thing for everyone is_ that we came to help_, and that was the only reason we were here altogether... _I believe all things in our universe happen for a reason, both good and bad;_ if nothing more, events like this bring us closer together" a tear rolled down her rosy cheek as she spoke.

Andrew slowly nodded his greater understanding of uncontrollable events, feeling a little lighter in his shoulders "Your words and generosity are boundless...Miss James; they will not be waisted..." he bowed slightly and returned to his wife.

Jenny hugged her husband "I cannot understand how a man could be so..." she searched for the right words "...gracious...in saving our son but so callous toward others; there is no sense in his actions..."

Andrew put his hand around his wife and child "We should be thankful for whatever was within him to deliver Dale safely back to us; but that will never redeem his other actions taking so many lives of good people..." he held his family close.

* * *

><p>Brody and Rush had now completed a full systems check, and scanned the surrounding area for more Ori ships. They knew that one or more could arrive at any moment, although they figured the Ori may think twice having just lost a mothership in a single blast.<p>

Adam smiled at Franklin who had just returned with Krystal "Good work guys; you saved our asses..."

Everett thanked them for their courage; Franklin and Krystal thanked Chloe for keeping them safe:

"General, do you think that will hold them back for a while?" asked Krystal

"Maybe, but they don't give up easily. The Ori will want to know how someone cut through their shields like that; with the speed it happened, I doubt they will have an understanding of how..."

Everett turned his attention to another person wanting to enter the bridge, as the guard said from outside "General, Captain Tez is here to see you Sir."

"Thanks Corporal, send her in..."

Tez stepped into the bridge for the first time "Wow! This is remarkable..." she said gazing at everything; she turned to Everett "Thankyou General: it was a small step toward healing my people..."

"Which is our next highest priority; to find any survivors...Tez, can you think of places they may have escaped to; like underground or through the gate?" asked Everett.

Tez thought for a moment "In parts of our growing fields there were always stormy twist winds; people's dwellings reside underground to avoid destruction. There is a whole network of infrastructure hidden beneath the terra firma; some of which was left by the Vale'ions too."

Nick looked at Everett "Sounds like a good place to start; the Ori would have concentrated on high population density first. From the sounds of their technology, they may have thought no one resides in the farmland areas; especially with the absence of housing..."

As Everett's attention was elsewhere, he didn't notice who was now sitting in Kirks chair; without looking he said "Chloe, get in close to the planet and scan underground..." he got a shock at the voice he heard back:

"Ok Honey..." Chloe giggled as she directed Te'arly on how to fly Destiny;

Everett spun around "What?"

Te'arly quickly looked over her shoulder and waived as Chloe taught her how to manoeuvre the great ship toward the planet.

Nick put his face in his hands when he heard "Chloe; this is a ship, not a toy..."

The look from Everett could have killed as he stared down at Rush without a word "_Don't even go there Rush..."_ he knew if anything went wrong Te'arly would immediately give the chair back to Chloe anyway...

Everett turned his attention back to Tez with a sly grin on his face and shook his head slightly; there was no way in hell he would have asked Te'arly to stop, she had more than earned a little fun time...

"Tez I need you to fly down to the planet with Captain Scott and his crew; your people will need to see a friendly face to avoid any more accidents; is there a way we can contact them to say we're friendly?" asked Everett.

Tez answered immediately "We have a radio wave network across the planet; if I give you the frequencies we should be able to communicate with any survivors. General, they may be hostile at first until we prove we're here to help."

"If the Ori had just devastated my planet, I'd be hostile too..." added Everett expecting it.

Tez appeared to have more to say, so he asked her "Is there something else Tez?"

She put her head down and sighed before lifting it back up to face the people that had given them shelter and safety "I am so sorry General Young, but I have deceived you somewhat..."He looked at her with his eyes open wide: "The people on my ship, not all of them are crew...one of them is Ambassador Hanson, another is her aide; we were on a journey to see the Farming community to broker a new deal..."

Everett glared at Krystal "You knew this too?"

Krystal felt ashamed of keeping the secret from them also "I am very sorry General Young, but Tez begged me not to tell you even though I told her they would be safe..."

Everett looked at them as an uneasy silence came over the bridge; everyone there waited for his next move;

Everett sighed and shook his head "I'm disappointed that you felt you couldn't trust me, not that you kept it from me; I understand that from a political point of view..." A tear rolled out of Tezareena's eye as Everett gently put his hand under her chin and lifted her head to face him "If there is anything else you need to tell me...now is the time" he smiled at her showing his forgiveness and said;

"We are here to help you; I cannot do that effectively if you only tell me half the story... So is there anything else I should know?" he asked with affectionate understanding.

She answered simply "No..." still ashamed of her betrayal.

"Ok Captain; would your people respond better to a message from her?" he asked

"Yes; they would...and General Young, she was sorry to do this too..." Everett put up his hand:

"I get it...yes; let's just put it behind us and move forward. Now is the time to go and speak with her about this..." said Everett, as they left the bridge together; Krystal figured she had worn out her welcome and left too, headed for the infirmary to see Zanx...

Te'arly took Destiny into a high orbit above the planet under Chloe's careful instruction, then thanked her and gave Chloe back the seat "Thank you so much Chloe, this was amazing..." she gave Chloe half a hug in the chair.

"No, you are amazing...and a natural" Chloe replied with a smile...

In the hanger Captain Scott briefed his pilots; "Ambassador Hansen has cast a message to the planet below, and received a welcoming response from many survivors. We still need to be on our guard as not all of the people may have heard the message; remember they are a more advanced race than our planet, which means they also will have better armaments..."

As they got into the F-302's Matt turned Tez around by the shoulder "Are you sure you want to do this; I don't want your own people to accidently fire upon you if it goes wrong."

She smiled "I'm sure Captain..." and with that she climbed into the cockpit and brought the systems online.

Four fighters and the shuttle with Ambassador Hansen left Destiny for the surface of Fildara. Tez was blown away by the thrill of flying the Gen III F-302, with Matt allowing her a few moments to "get acquainted" with its amazing capabilities and feel, in the form of some acrobatic flying. He thought to himself how much of a natural pilot she had turned out to be, and hoped that she may want to stay onboard Destiny indefinitely; being that he could use an exceptional pilot.

Her ride was over all too quick as she touched the fighter down gracefully next to the shuttle. Tez watched as a scared people started to emerge from hiding spots, after feeling safe enough to come out. These were a great people, proud of their peaceful lifestyle and achievements; all that had been ruined within a few short days. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of a now demoralised and broken people coming her way.

She thought to herself "I don't know how to fix this..."

"_But I will never give up trying!_" making herself a vow...


	22. Chapter 22

Hello... I am sorry to say that from here on in the episodes will be further apart. I am just getting too busy and don't have as much time to write; so rather than reduce the quality of the story, it will just take longer to post. This also gives me the chance to work on up coming story lines to keep it interesting... Enjoy!

SGU s04 e02

Eli

Several days had passed since everything had happened; the full extent of the whole mess was now known.

Eli knocked on Camille's door.

"It's Eli, can I come in?"

Vanessa quickly hid herself under the covers; after a moment Camille answered "Ok..."

He tried to talk, but broke down instead; Camille could feel his pain. Without a second thought she rolled out of bed naked; grabbed her robe throwing it on, and hugged Eli as he sobbed.

"Eli... it's ok, none of this was your fault..." she tried to comfort him.

"But it was; I put the virus in her system..." he said trying to wipe his eyes.

Camille thought for a moment before asking Eli a question "Eli, why didn't the ship stop the upload? Destiny would have known it was a virus..."

Eli's technical brain finally began to spin again. "She didn't try and stop me...but I overrode the safety protocols anyway" his tears started to dry out.

Camille was trying to make him see what happened, as Vanessa also got out of bed with the sheet wrapped around her and came over for extra support.

Camille smiled as Vanessa sat beside them and put her arm around Eli as well saying "Sweetie, she let you do it...because she trusted you not to hurt her; and you didn't."

Eli sat with his head in his hands "I know, but I still did it anyway..." he said completely deflated.

Camille looked at Vanessa behind Eli's back with a shrug of "_I don't know what to tell him_".

Vanessa came out with the next line, "Well, have you spoken to her Eli...and told her how you feel? I know she understands you well."

Eli looked at her "I'm a bit scared too...I nearly hurt Chloe as well..." he said.

"Eli...I'm sure Destiny knew why and what was happening; it is not in your nature to harm anyone..." said Camille; a comment she may have regretted soon after...

Eli jumped off the bed and faced the two women in a rage; he pointed his finger at his own head like a gun;

"I blew someone's fucking brains out the front of their skull; they didn't even see it coming, cause I was too fucking cowardly to face them and do it..." Eli's face went from red to white as he grabbed his chest and fell to the floor in immense pain.

* * *

><p>Camille screamed "Oh Jesus!" and dived to the floor checking his vitals.<p>

Vanessa called an emergency over the com, and helped Camille get Eli comfortable; his breathing was shallow, but his pulse was strong. Amanda and T.J flew into the doorway several minutes later...

An hour later, the roles were reversed as Ginn sat beside Eli in the infirmary as his eyes slowly opened.

"Hi Baby..." said Ginn softly, holding his hand.

Eli put his hand to his head "Oh...what happened..."

"You collapsed talking to Camille and Vanessa..." She rubbed his hand and held it to her face.

Eli turned away remembering what happened "Yelling more like it..."he said in a horse whisper.

Ginn kissed the back of his hand saying "Eli...it's ok; they understand. TJ said it was all stress related tension; it seemed to manifest and came out as pain in your chest. They sedated you for an hour or so to relax your muscles and gave you some pain killers..."

Eli turned back to Ginn. "Why does my head hurt?"

Ginn leaned over him and kissed his cheek, gently pushing his hair back with her hand "Because you need to let this out Eli; please...don't keep it inside, it's destroying you..."

Eli started to cry. "I just can't shake the image from my head; I can see all the blood and stuff splatter out...and then he just fell forward. And that asshole Decca, the way he held the gun at Te'arly, I just froze... I couldn't even pull the trigger; and then he killed her..." Eli's tears were now free flowing as he finally started to let out everything. "It just keeps going around and around in my head; I can't seem to stop it. Then I see him hit you over and over again, like...it's a recording stuck on repeat; my heart hurts watching it...and what he said about you: it just won't go away..." he had just told Ginn the real issue; her.

Ginn's eyes watered badly as her own mind span out of control; in her head she said "This can't be happening..." but it was, and the man she adored and wanted to spend her life with could never know the truth; Decca Traise had taken Ginn as his so called "bride" when she was only a teenager, forced into a sham marriage for nearly a year. It had ended when Decca was left for dead on a barren planet, after fierce infighting amongst Alliance warlords. Ginn was able to be free of him, but was kept against her will within the Alliance until her life changed on Destiny. She had told herself "New body and new life" being free with a man she had only dared to dream about through her teenage years; Eli was the soulmate she never knew she could have...

Sgt. Greer came to see Eli later and feeling better, he took him to the garden dome in a quiet spot he knew.

Eli spoke staring out the window into the vastness of space "General Young and Te'arly came by...to thank me for being so brave, and saving him...again."

Ron put his hand on Eli's shoulder. "It was brave Eli; it took balls to do what you did. You pointed a gun at one of the most fearless men in the universe; and took out his partner...that was gutsy my friend, very gutsy."

"Coming from you I'll take that as a compliment..." said Eli with half a smile.

Ronald mused; "Huh..." he paused for a moment "You know, it's the hardest thing to do... to point a gun at someone...and squeeze the trigger. In the heat of battle, you don't think and just do it to save your own life, or the guys next to you...but what you did; that's a completely different ball game."

Eli looked at him. "How do you do it; I mean, that guy that had Camille...Vanessa told me you didn't even flinch...how do you do that?"

Ron looked out to space and shook his head smiling "I have no idea...it just seems to come to me; but Eli, I have been trained _and_ in combat. I only spent a few hours a week training you; and you still came through..."

"I probably could have done with a few more weeks..." said Eli, now turning to the same view.

Ron agreed "Yeah man, you could have; but there is nothing to prepare you for it though. Look at it this way: do you think he would have let you off with a warning? Of course not; he would have done the same thing to you; now, tell me who deserved it more...you or him?"

Eli quickly looked back at Ron with an astonished expression saying "Fuck; I never even thought of that at the time!" suddenly Eli felt the burden of his action change into reason for his own survival; he was beginning to understand something about a soldier, from the ground floor.

Greer smiled broadly at him "Now you're gettin it..." The two of them sat and talked for another hour, watching stars and the largest of three Fildaran moons...

There were now four ships in a staggered orbit around Fildara; Destiny, Apollo 2011, the Ursini's new ship "Porta Galassie" (translation: "move between galaxies") and a new updated O'Neill class Asgard ship with matter stream technology, and the latest shielding and weapons. The Fildaran people had survived the biggest event of their history, with an estimated half a billion inhabitants around the planet finding shelter from the Ori's devastation; more were returning in ships every day. There wasn't a soul amongst them that hadn't lost someone they knew, or family.

The Asgard delivered a new stargate, being that it was one of the first targets taken out in the assault; it wasn't long before Castell came through the gate with his own people to offer assistance and technology for rebuilding. It didn't take him long to find his way to Destiny again, this time using the conventional means of Destiny's shuttle.

Castell walked straight up and hugged Te'arly, ignoring Everett standing there "You're welcome" he said to her still holding the embrace; she began to cry on his shoulder.

Castell stood back and turned to Everett, repeating the same hug to him saying "Not in my life time..."

The trio found their way to the observation deck and sat watching the view across Destiny's bow; it was some time before another word was spoken by any of them, happy just to be...

Finally Everett turned to him "Did you have something to do with that?" he asked while staring into Castell's eyes.

"Her death...no; her life...I may have asked a favour..." he replied casually.

Te'arly was staring at both of them, being on the outside of a conversation about her; Everett dropped his head forward and began to chuckle;

"Asked a favour...huh" his face became angry; looking at Castell who ignored his anger "Why...why didn't you stop it; you knew...didn't you!"

Castell turned in his seat and faced him, placing his hand on Everett's shoulder under his gaze and carefully relayed his message in a straight forward manner;

"No, I didn't know he would kill her; neither did the Ancients. Lady Destiny didn't need much encouragement from me to assist. All I said to her was... "Don't leave him like this again." he turned to Te'arly who was quite upset "And if you don't help her, I will!"

He pulled both of them into himself, one on each shoulder "There was no way in the universe I would let it end like that; not this time, not ever!" Even the wise old Castell shed some tears...

* * *

><p>Tamara was sitting with Varro who had regained consciousness and was responding well to treatment; thanks to the healing belts, his liver was now working about eighty percent of normal function.<p>

He and T.J were talking about what happened;

"As you know, I was working late on more batches of serum for the Artá people; to be honest I thought it was you coming in the door...wish it was now..." T.J just listened "As I turned around, I felt a searing pain in my shoulder before realising he'd shot me; so I charged at him in the doorway. That's when he shot me in the stomach and I fell down."

T.J struggled to hold back her emotions as he continued, "Decca just looked at me and said "I won't even let you crawl, traitor..." and he shot my knees out, then dragged me to the bench for someone to find me...dead I would think. I don't remember much after that; I think I passed out..." he placed his hand over T.J's "Thank you for saving me...again..."

Tamara couldn't respond with words, instead she just cradled him as he lay in bed; she had no idea how her and Varro had come about to be in love, all she knew know was that this was the man for her: nothing else mattered...

The rescued farming community had gone home through the new stargate on Fildara, with members of Apollo's Special Opps team insuring the planet was safe again. Vanessa had also accompanied them with an invitation from Andrew to "drop by sometime"; he had seen the devastation from the Ori first hand on Fildara, and could not thank Vanessa enough for their actions. The people aboard Destiny, people from another galaxy; had endured horrific treachery in saving them: their sacrifice was something Andrew's people would never forget...

Later on, Everett was summoned to the Apollo via Asgard beaming technology, again in mid conversation. Cameron Mitchell was sitting with Thor and Ra'toli, waiting for him;

"Sorry to beam you out at short notice again General Young, but there are things we need to discuss..." said Thor in a monotone way.

Everett smiled "I'm getting use to it... please, continue..."

Thor began, "Commander Ra'toli's ship intercepted a communication from the Ori vessels within the neighbouring galaxies. As expected, they are concerned about the destruction of their mothership from a seemingly technologically inferior vessel."

Everett looked at Cameron for confirmation, then back to Thor and Ra'toli "We assumed as much, but do they have any idea from where that technology came from?"

Ra'toli looked at Thor who gave nothing away, before speaking "We understand there is still an eternal battle raging between the Ascended and the Ori, yet we cannot confirm that word has been passed about the existence of the Valeyian people. What we do understand is that no one in the physical universe can find Valeya unless they're invited, as in case of your people, General Young."

Everett nodded his serious understanding, but was unsure of where this was all leading; putting two and two together he asked "So...if the Ori was to find out where, you believe they would focus all their efforts on that one task?"

Thor answered, "It is plausible they would try and attack Valeya, yes."

Cameron asked with a concerned, but confused look; "How can they attack a planet that can't be seen, and well...I guess technically, are their ancestors?" his question went unanswered.

Thor continued "I have spoken recently with Lady Destiny of the Ascended who informed me to pass this message..." he looked directly at Everett "When you destroyed the ship, it weakened the Ori's power substantially; but the taking of so many lives at once also had an impact on the Ancients..." Thor abruptly stopped.

Ra'toli made a comment that made everyone there think carefully about the next move:

"It is one thing to be more powerful than your enemy, but another to shake their belief. They will not stop; if we continue to destroy them, we are at risk of becoming that which we despise most...the enemy."

A cold silence descended over the table as Ra'toli's comment hit home. He was right, to continue with simply killing the Ori was no better than them enslaving others to Origin; the beings at the table needed to find a better solution: killing thousands of men, women, and children in a single blow was not the answer.

Col. Mitchell broke the silence "We need a silver bullet...for the Prior..." he said deep in thought.

Ra'toli questioned "Silver bullet...what is that?"

Cameron faced him to explain, "It's a term we use on Earth when trying to target a specific object or person...that's hard to destroy."

Thor questioned, "Isn't that from the mythology of a creature who stalked the night, where only a silver bullet from your projectile weapons could kill it?"

Cameron smiled "That's about it..."

Ra'toli nodded "I don't quite understand your history, but I do understand the meaning; what do you suggest Col. Mitchell?"

Cameron lay back in his seat and held his chin with one hand while thinking "We know we can penetrate their shields; but what we need is a way to target only the Prior and maybe those close to him, rather than the innocent. Most of their soldiers have been forced into Origin anyway and are not evil people by nature..."

Ra'toli looked impressed by Cameron's comment "Take out the command structure; the soldiers will not fight without orders...I like it!"

Thor as practical as ever asked "How do you intend to only target the Ori Prior?"

Cameron looked at Everett who smiled back knowingly; "Got something to do with the Prior inhibitor... not sure on the details yet but we'll work on it. Until we achieve this weapon, unfortunately we are left with not much choice in our defenses if need be, we will open fire as a last resort only..."

* * *

><p>Everett was beamed back onboard Destiny with orders to continue on their journey in several hours time. Dr Volker and Matá were ready to leave and return with the serum to the Artá planet, Volker having switched places with Te'arly; Dr Brody came with them to the new stargate on Fildara. The crew of Destiny had wished them well, with Te'arly giving Matá a message for Venna:<p>

"Tell her I have found love...and will visit some day; she will understand."

Adam looked into Dale's eyes "Are you sure about this?" he asked concerned.

Dale looked back and then at Matá and smiled "I'm sure, this is what I want..." he reached out and took hold of Matá's hand, turning back to Adam "See you 'round sometime..."

And they walked through the gate...

It was also time for some other people to leave, Krystal and Zanx; he had recovered from his ordeal and was ready to return home. Standing with Krystal near the gate, they thanked Tez for her help; they had left Destiny on good terms, with Everett telling her she was always welcome again with a simple message;

"Next time, trust me..." he smiled and gave her a hug.

Zanx looked at the girl he was madly in love with who didn't seem to notice; so he thought...

"Are you ready?" he asked

Krystal turned to him and said unexpectedly "You're in love with me aren't you?"

Zanx got the shock of his life, but didn't hide what he felt "For some time now..." he was a bit lost for words at her sudden question.

Krystal put her head down and sighed; Zanx's heart nearly broke in two until:

"Well then Mr Zanx..." she looked up at him; "are you going to kiss me or what?" she said with a loving smile.

He didn't need a second invitation as they kissed passionately in front of the open stargate...

Captain Scott caught up with General Young asking a bit of a touchy question, "General, is there any chance you would consider allowing Captain Tez to stay onboard?"

Everett looked at Matt who really wanted to keep her, "Who's asking, you or Captain Tez?" was his skeptical reply.

Matt smiled. "Well, I guess you could say both of us; she asked me to ask you. She wants to stay, and help...to be honest, I believe she can help; her flying skills are as good as any pilot I know, and better than most..."

Everett put up his hand, knowing Matt had made his mind up. "Ok, one condition: no more secrets. Trust needs to be earned, and she needs to understand that is of the utmost importance out here; so...where is she?"

Tez stepped out from around the corner; Everett looked at Matt and rolled his eyes before shaking his head, and then looked straight at her. "I hope you heard that!"

Tez walked over somewhat nervous. "I did General Young, and I will earn your trust back; I promise."

Looking her over, he nodded "You have my trust, earn my respect." Everett liked her and knew Matt had gone out on a limb because _he_ believed in her abilities.

Tez grinned from ear to ear. "Yes Sir!" She tried to hold down her excitement.

After Everett left, Tez turned to Matt and hugged him with joy. "Thank you so much Captain..."

Matt gently pried her off "Ok, ok...First rule; no more hugs, I am technically your commanding officer. Secondly, I am engaged to Chloe and she is not someone you want to upset..." Matt found Tez to be very attractive and knew Chloe would get very jealous if she saw them embracing; most of all he loved Chloe and wouldn't do anything that may hurt her.

Tez immediately collected herself and apologized, "Sorry Captain..." She more appropriately put out her hand to shake.

Matt took it in his and said, "Your welcome, Captain Tez..."

Chloe took Destiny out of orbit after bidding farewell to the other ships and the Fildarans and jumped into FTL back towards Destiny's original path through the galaxy.

Nick was on the bridge with Adam, and Ginn at the forward CI panels "Chloe, the next system we arrive at, we need get some gas... we're down to half a tank..." said Dr Rush looking at Destiny's power readings, keeping it simple.

Brody questioned, "How did we use so much in a short time?"

Rush went through some more screens. "It had something to do with the shields, and no offense, Chloe's bid to outrun the Ori. It seems that every strike against the shield soaked up some power, and the sublight drive uses more than the FTL, being less efficient; then there was two shots of the main weapon. The shot at the Ori took nearly one percent of her power; all that energy had to come from somewhere..."

Brody thought for a moment. "But I thought the Valeyian's said the power drain on the shields and weapons was minimal..."

Nick corrected him without lashing out for once; he was happy to be finally rid of Volker, who he couldn't stand. "They said it won't use much power to generate, which it doesn't; but taking a hit from the Ori beam weapon still requires power to absorb the blast. That said, it would hold up for weeks of constant hits with full reserves; however, the main gun did need time to recoup after firing that kind of power. Franklin and I have done some checks on the V base and found just how much energy was required to create the hole in space."

Ginn looked over "V base?" she asked

Brody smiled "Franklin's abbreviation for Valeyian Data Base..." he turned back to Rush "So how many shots would you get if a wall of Ori ships appeared?" asking half heartedly.

Rush looked at him with contempt, "Dr Brody, do you really believe a wall of Ori mother ships would confront us..." he began to laugh sarcastically "I think FTL would be a better choice than stand and fight..." he got back to his work.

Chloe glared at Brody, with him saying "What?" and raising his hands in a "what did I say" gesture...

* * *

><p>Elsewhere on the ship, Eli knocked on Camille's door.<p>

Camille opened the door and smiled, "How are you feeling Eli?"

"Camille...I'm really sorry about what happened" Camille tried to stop his apology but Eli insisted "No, please...I want to apologize for the way I went off at you; it was uncalled for and not fair on both of you, so...I'm really sorry..."

Camille reached out and clasped Eli's hand between her own "Thank you Eli, apology accepted..." he nodded, then turned and left.

Eli went to the database room and sat watching the active screen in front of him;

"Destiny, please forgive me..." he said quietly.

A holographic image of Lady Destiny appeared and sat beside him "There is no need to apologise to me Eli, I know you would never intentionally harm me; although my sensors were down I could still read your mind. It comes from a different place within, so I am never blind to the ones I care about..."

Eli was a little taken back. "You _care_ about us?" he asked somewhat unsure.

She put her hand on his knee, although Eli couldn't feel the touch "Yes Eli, I care about all of you..." with that the touch of her hand suddenly became real as the Ascended Lady Destiny materialised beside him.

Eli jumped with fright "What?"

"Eli my love, don't be afraid..." she said calmingly. "My ship and I are very much intertwined, we both hear you; I thought maybe it is time for us to talk, alone."

Eli settled down and put his hand over hers to feel that it was real, she smiled and placed her other hand on top of his saying "You are the most special of all my young Eli; the life you have chosen out here is the envy of others. I am sorry you had to learn some things the hard way, but you must always remember: what is to give light, must endure some burning. You, my love, are the bright star of Destiny; inside you is the key that can unlock all her secrets..."

Eli looked at the screen in front of him "You mean I can unlock this?" he asked amazed at who he was speaking with.

Lady Destiny snuggled her head into his shoulder "That is not your path Eli; your own destiny lay elsewhere. I cannot tell you everything; if I do you will miss the meaning of it all. The person who can open this is someone that you will love eternally; when _she_ is ready, it will open..."

Eli's first thought was Ginn, but Lady Destiny could feel his question "No my love, it is not her; but _she_ will be a part of you both."

The penny dropped as Eli asked in a state of surprise "We're having...a girl?" he stuttered.

"Yes, and she will be beautiful...just like her parents" she sat back up and turned toward him waiting for his questions.

A tear ran down Eli's cheek as he asked, "How do you know all this, I mean the future is not set in stone; every decision we make changes _everything that happens_..."

Lady Destiny answered honestly "Where we are from, time has no meaning. We can see many possible futures for all people, this is why we don't normally interfere; but there are fixed points in time that we know to be true: the birth of your daughter is one of them..."

"When will this be?" he asked in hope.

Lady Destiny chuckled; "Oh sweetie; that is one surprise I would never spoil..."

Eli took a moment to digest what she just said "So she is very special then, not only to Ginn and me?"

"Eli, I so wish I could give you the answer..." she wanted nothing more than to allow happiness to reign in his heart for the wonder that awaits him; but knew she couldn't.

Eli nodded his understanding even though he desperately wanted to know more; he changed the subject back to the ship, while he had the chance; "Can I ask you a couple of things please?"

"Yes, of course" she replied.

Eli thought for a moment "Can Destiny really think and feel emotions...like we do?"

Lady Destiny put her warm hand to Eli's face "She is an entity in her own right; and yes she can think and also feel emotions. The databank in front of you helped increase her abilities also; she is not mad at you Eli, Destiny understands why. All of your actions are teaching her about life in a different form; this is more than she can learn from the universe alone. Everything has purpose and reasons my love; you will come to see..." her voice was almost hypnotic to Eli.

"Um... there's just one more if you don't mind..." asked Eli as she smiled back at him "What is your name Lady Destiny?"

"Layla..." she answered.

Eli liked the sound of that "Thank you... Layla" he said.

Eli looked at his phone for the time "Holy crap, I was supposed to meet Ginn half an hour ago..." he said in a slight panic.

Lady Destiny gently took his hand "Time is only relevant to those it serves my love, this has only been a few moments of yours..." and with that she kissed his cheek and vanished at the same time.

Eli looked again at the time; it had only been three minutes since he entered the room. There was a message on the screen "Take care of your family, my love..."

"I will...Layla" he said quietly.

Eli sat and reflected on the conversation he just had with one of the wisest of all people in the universe; "Wow, we're going to have a little girl..." his heart pounded with love for the baby he had yet to meet. His love for Ginn and their daughter would know no bounds; in this very still moment Eli's heart found a peace he had never known, that transformed his life and the pain he had been feeling. He had a vision of clarity beyond his years, and in that instant; a vision of the future appeared to him in a movie format, like he was sitting in the cinema watching:

He saw the most beautiful woman with long red hair and pure green eyes; she appeared to be floating in space with a long silky black dress flowing around her in a breeze. Behind her was a point of pure light that was expanding by the second; the next thing he saw was a giant explosion of unfathomable size as the girl stretched out her arms allowing it to pass through her. It soon became a picture of the universe; still floating there, she put her arms and hands forward outstretched toward him and said;

"I love you Daddy..."

Eli jumped with fright as he banged his head on the wall; the com broke the silence; "Honey, are you still down there...I'm waiting Eli..." said Ginn in a sexy voice.

Eli rubbed his head and squinted at the sting "Yeah, yeah...sorry babe, got carried away...again. I'll be there shortly..." he got up and left...

Finally, Te'arly and Everett had peace and quiet together; she stepped out of the bathroom wearing a black satin teddy and a pair of high heels Castell had brought for her on Earth. Everett was spellbound as he watched this sculptured woman walk over to him in the sexiest way; she stopped and lifted her long brown blonde hair up, forcing her breasts to stand out even more. Everett walked up to her and run his fingers intimately down; starting from Te'arly's elbows and sliding along silky smooth underarms, over her breasts pausing to caress their hard nipples before continuing to her sexy pregnant belly.

She moaned softly "Oh baby..." as he gently kissed her enlarged belly and journeyed even lower. It wasn't long before Te'arly's first wave of pleasure erupted through her body; he carefully laid her on the bed and continued her pleasure further. Again her inner womanhood was released in uncontrollable waves of passion;

Te'arly grabbed Everett's hair in orgasmic desperation:

"Oh darling; please...have me...have me now!"


	23. Chapter 23

HI... Sorry it took a while for this, life has been a bit hectic; hope you enjoy...

SGU s04 e03

Forward

Time had passed on the Ancient ship for everyone onboard; it had been three months since a man called Decca Traise had destroyed the unique calm, of Destiny's inhabitants. Dr Rush, Eli and others had found a way to lock out his genetic profile from crossing through Destiny's gate. The injured had made full recovery in body; the emotional turmoil of having their home ambushed still needed work for some.

Things had changed in Eli and Ginn's relationship; Ginn held onto so much guilt that she only kept her secret another week after Eli's stress attack. She had sat with her best friend Te'arly who encouraged her to open up and trust in the strength of her and Eli's love for each other; Ginn broke down as she explained to Eli about her stolen teenage years. At first he reacted with anger, but saw the pain she was in and calmed down; it hurt to hear, all the time knowing she had kept this deep dark secret. By the end of it, he was more upset over Ginn's pain than his own...

That night, Lady Destiny had visited both of them to help soothe the hurt; she showed them a glimpse of their future together, at a birthday party for their daughter aged around five years old. She gave them the wisdom to see and feel a higher understanding of unconditional love and forgiveness, leaving them with the beautiful memory of what was to come. Once again, she used her power to help heal the hearts of the crew aboard _her ship_...

Eli sat steely eyed, staring at Nick "Go on, I dare you!"

* * *

><p>Nick looked back keeping a straight face "Not this time Eli...call."<p>

Eli laid them down "Read 'em and weep sucker...three Kings _and_ nines! Full house my friend."

Rush looked at the cards "And you call yourself Mathboy..." he laid down four Jacks; "Nice try Eli..."

Nick reached over and dragged the chips from the pot in front of him; "Always a pleasure Eli..."

Eli watched as $3 Million worth of his chips now belonged to Nick; "Damn it..." he said quietly.

Nick smiled in jest; "Lucky these aren't real chips Eli, I could buy a condo with what I've taken from you tonight."

Sgt. John Wallace looked at the dismal pile of chips in front of him, and then to Ronald's opposite him; "We shouldn't play poker against two mathematicians..."

Ron laughed "Yeah, we've been less wounded in battle; here we get our asses kicked every time!"

The four of them laughed at their comments; life had returned normal aboard the Ancient ship...

In Everett's quarters, he lay beside Te'arly running his fingers softly over her very pregnant belly; her little boy was making his presence noticed with the occasional kick.

"Opps, there he goes again..." she said with a giggle.

Everett was content in the moment, just happy to be; "He's going to be a strong little man by that..." as he joined her gentle laughter. Stopping to look in Te'arly's eyes Everett said; "I love you; I don't know where I'd be without you..."

Te'arly smiled; speaking from her heart she said; "I don't intend on leaving Honey; you are my man, and this is our home...so you're kinda stuck with me!"

Everett cuddled her...

Chloe and Matt were having an intimate dinner together on the observation deck, discussing plans for their wedding. Adam was tending the bar with Amanda and Ginn cooking and serving the food; several other couples were also seated in the now "make shift" restaurant with the best view in the universe. Along with Hawaiian Day, once a week the crew would convert the observation deck into the "Galactic View" restaurant; everyone was welcome, provided you returned the favour and assisted as staff the next time. It was a co-operation within the crew that gave every participant more "normality" in their lives so far from home.

Matt asked Chloe; "I know you love me, but are you certain you want to have the wedding out here? You sure you don't want to return to Earth and have it there?"

Chloe eye's glistened as she smiled at the man she adored; "I would never deny our family here _or Destiny _the chance to experience this either; after all, _she _is a big part of our lives too. And besides, where would we find a view like this?" Chloe waved her hand toward the windows.

Matt smiled at her; "Is your mom still coming?"

Chloe nodded. "Yeah, she wouldn't miss it for the world." Chloe's eyes softened as she asked; "Have you managed to get in touch with your son yet?"

Matt sighed. "When I visited Earth last week the number was disconnected. I got a member of the I.O.A to try and track them down; they said they'll send a subspace message to me if or when they're located."

Chloe could see the hurt in Matt; she was concerned for his happiness and wanted him to at least meet his son. As she sat there with him, what really mattered was Matt's love for her; Chloe had plans for their own family one day...

A couple of hours later, the observation deck had been returned to normal. Adam had closed the bar and ventured back tiredly to his quarters. Opening the door, he heard a voice come from inside his room.

"It's about time you got here..." the sexy female voice said.

As the door closed behind him, the dim glow of the emergency lights showed the stunning figure of a woman; her white skin shinning against her dark lacy lingerie, and shoulder length brownish hair.

Adam smiled; "Don't forget it's your turn on the bar next week..." as Adam made his way to the bathroom.

"Don't take too long baby, you don't want me to fall asleep" she cooed.

It didn't take long for Adam to get into bed and caress her soft skin. "I'm so glad they let you stay," he said.

She quickly threw him over and climbed on top; "Enough talk Mr Brody, time for action..." as she slid down his body, kissing and gently dragging her fingernails all the way increasing his arousal.

"Oh God Tez, damn you're so hot" said Adam; she moaned an answer...

Franklin was at the controls of Destiny quietly watching the universe going by. In the past few months, they had stopped at many different planets and were now just over halfway through the giant Valeyian Galaxy. Franklin mused to himself that it had been a fairly uneventful journey for some time now, but he was wise enough to know that could change at any moment, and this was it.

Lady Destiny appeared as a hologram to him in the bridge. "Dr Franklin, my long range sensors are detecting a disturbance sixty Parsecs to port from our current position. We will reach the area within seven hours and twelve minutes at our current speed; shall I change course for investigation?"

Franklin mulled it over for a moment before asking; "How far off our original course will that take us?"

Destiny answered; "Approximately seventeen Parsecs to port at a twenty two degree angle from the galactic horizon; only several Earth hours from our current course in a straight line."

Franklin made some notes in the ships log before saying with a smile; "Ok, let's take a peek, shall we?"

Lady Destiny's hologram smiled back; "I do enjoy your Earth sayings..." as she automatically changed course.

Franklin lay back in Kirk's chair while Lady Destiny watched him; "It's ok..." she said "I don't mind if you rest for a while" and with that she vanished.

* * *

><p>"Hey Dr Franklin; wakie, wakie!" said Chloe in a gentle voice as she walked around to find him sound asleep.<p>

Franklin stretched and yawned; "Oh, Chloe...I must have dozed off" he said sleepily. "What time is it?" he asked.

"It's..." Chloe smiled; "well I don't really think it matters out here, but your shift ends in an hour. I just came up to see where we are at...and it seems we have changed course toward three different star systems; what gives?" She asked, wanting to know immediately.

Franklin cleared his throat and said; "Destiny picked up a disturbance and wanted to know if we would like to investigate; I said yes, it's all in the log. We should arrive in a couple of hours."

Chloe smiled after reading the log entry saying; "Now that you're awake, maybe we should do some more scans and see what turns up..."

Franklin smiled back; "Yeah, I better have something to show for my midnight decision..."

The two of them started to run more comprehensive scans and ran them through the V-bank. After half an hour passed, they were able to construct a rough picture of what was happening; low grade energy weapons were being discharged, and several bursts of high energy outputs were also detected.

Chloe and Franklin looked at each other with the findings; Franklin said: "General Young needs to see this; I think this may be a war happening..."

Several minutes later, a yawning Everett was on the bridge asking what had happened. Franklin brought him up to speed.

Franklin told Everett: "If it is a battle, and we believe it is; the two sides could fire everything they have at Destiny, and still not scratch the surface. The blast weapons we're detecting would be a slightly lesser equivalent of early Goa'uld technology; don't get me wrong...we're not invincible, but it is highly unlikely their technology is any threat to us while onboard Destiny. Outside of the ship, we would be just as vulnerable as they are."

Everett nodded his understanding; "Chloe, keep our distance; I don't want to spook whatever is happening out there, I just want to get close enough to snoop around..."

Chloe replied, sitting back in Kirks chair; "Yes, General...by the way, how is Te'arly doing?" She asked with genuine interest.

Everett smiled "Um, she's doing fine, although I think she feels a little awkward in her own body..."

Chloe looked over her shoulder at him; "I'll drop in and see her later..."

"Yeah, she'd like that Chloe, thanks" replied Everett.

For some reason, Chloe and Te'arly had become closer in the last few months. Everett had put it down to Chloe feeling able to open up to her; Te'arly had that effect on people as she was a good listener, amongst other things. Chloe had returned the favour by teaching Te'arly to fly Destiny, from the ship's own perspective; there was a little bit of jealousy going around over this too, mainly from Nick and Adam.

They were soon joined by Eli, Nick, Amanda, and Camille on the bridge; all of them giving suggestions at once until Everett finally put up his hands and called timeout.

"Ok! Enough!" He yelled holding his head. "We have no idea what is going on; so until we do, keep the discussion, _and noise_ to a minimum. If it is a war, it is_ not our war;_ we are only bystanders in someone else's argument, and will not take sides. We could only be the referee if you like, unless it is the Ori or General Traise, we do not get involved." Everett leaned hard on his next words "_Does everyone here understand that?"_

There was a chorus of "Yes Sir" in apologetic voices.

"Good. Chloe, how long to we reach a safe distance?" Everett asked more considerately.

"About fifteen minutes General; but they may be able to detect us as well, at that distance" she replied.

Everett smiled. "I think they might be concerned with other issues first."

The time passed slowly with barely a word spoken on the bridge as Destiny finally dropped from FTL. In the vast distance, they could see small explosions that looked like sparks from a fire; as Chloe closed in at full sublight speed, they became more prominent.

Eli watching out the bridge windows broke the silence; "Holy fuck, there are thousands of them..."

Chloe stopped Destiny only a stone's throw from the fight at five thousand kilometres, increasing the shields to maximum. Destiny was suddenly struck by several stray blasts that harmlessly dissipated into her shields.

Nick looked at Everett and said sarcastically; "So...where're just going to sit here and be spectators while these people kill each other?"

Everett fired back; "It's not our war Rush, what do you want to do; go in the middle and call a truce until we find out who's right and wrong?"

Nick shook his head aware that he should have made his point more appropriately: "I'm sorry Everett, but really; shouldn't we try and help them sort it out. Isn't that what Castell and his people wanted us to do?"

While they questioned themselves, Eli butted in; "Um, guys; I think we may get to plead our case..." as he watched three ships break off and head directly at them, firing endlessly at Destiny.

Everett gave an order to Chloe "Don't fire back; we are not their enemy..."

The three flat arrow head looking ships fired at Destiny from all sides with everything they had; Chloe could feel Destiny almost laughing at them, as the Valeyian shields didn't even show any power increase at all.

Everett looked at Nick, who gestured toward the com; Everett conceded. "Ok." He opened the com on hailing frequencies.

"Attention, attacking vessels." He took a quick look at everyone watching, winked and smiled. "This is _Commander _Everett Young of the starship Destiny. We are not your enemy, and this is not our fight; we are explorers from another galaxy, far, far away." Eli could barely contain his laughter.

No one had ever heard Everett speak in this manner; it was like he wasn't being serious. Eli twigged that something was a little off, with his laughter replaced by more serious concern as he asked:

"Um, General Young...are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"I'm fine Eli, if I told them I was a General, there is a good chance more would attack; eventually we would have to intervene, and no one here deserves to be killed by us..."

They were interrupted as a communication came from the ships, who had now given up wasting their energy on Destiny's shields.

* * *

><p>"Who are you...what do you want with us?" said the angry vocal reply.<p>

Everett answered; "I told you who I was; we want to know what this fight is over?"

There was silence for a few moments before the angry voice gave an answer: "Surrender your ship or prepare to be boarded!"

Nick chuckled and Eli laughed; Everett told them to pipe down, waving his hands at them before replying: "You haven't a chance of either of those demands; the only way you would get on this ship is in our custody...now, why all the fighting?"

Again there was a long silence before the answer "How can you be from another galaxy, that is impossible! Intergalactic flight is not possible in a life time; our galaxy is over two hundred thousand years of lightspeed across!"

Eli smiled at Nick and said; "They may not have any means of FTL or hyperspace" he turned to Everett, "Let them know it is possible, but not how..."

Everett was about to answer when the bridge lit up with warnings; the stargate began to spin. The gate room guard radioed Everett:

"General Young, it's the Valeyian's I.D.C..."

Castell stepped through the gate and smiled at 1st Sgt Greer waiting to greet him; they grabbed hands and pulled toward each other with a slap on the back.

Castell said in a laid back tone; "My man, Greer; what sup..." he paused for a moment and went back to normal, "Did I get that right?"

Ronald laughed; "Yeah man, we cool!" Ron nodded as he smiled; "What brings you back to Destiny today?"

Castell laughed as always before saying; "I see you have found some interesting inhabitants of our galaxy; I just wanted to tag along and see how this plays out first hand this time. Would it be too much trouble to ask if I could go to the bridge and join in?"

"Like I could stop you anyway... I'll let my boss know you're on the way" said Greer still smiling.

Castell looked warmly at Ronald; "Let him know I'll visit Te'arly first, then come up..."

Back on the bridge Everett answered carefully to the alien ship: "Maybe your technology doesn't allow for that, but ours does. Again, why are you fighting; surly there is nothing worth this many lives?"

The return message was blunt; "As you have said, this is not your fight; leave now!" the massage cut off.

Chloe got Everett's attention; "General Young, two ships and three fighters are headed our way; they appear to be from the other side, and they're using Destiny as cover from these guys." With that, the first ships departed back to the fight.

The more rounded and winged conventional rocket shaped ships, came to a halt some hundred kilometres from the rear and starboard side of the ancient ship. They had been party to the open communication from "Commander" Young and wanted help; the message came though:

"Please help us, they are attacking our world!" This time the voice on the other end was in pain, spoken by a man with desperation and broken spirit.

Everett looked at everyone on the bridge. "If anyone has something to say, now's the time."

They all stood there silent, except for Chloe who said; "General; go with your instincts..."

He opened the com; "This is Commander Young; your enemies seem less anxious to speak to us. Not to mention we came under fire from them; if you're not willing to tell us what this is about, we will turn and leave."

A single word came back over the open channel: "Aqua"

Rush said it first "Water? They're fighting over water?"

Eli looked at him; "One planet must be running out..." he said trying to make sense of the cryptic answer.

Everett answered the voice; "So this is about water; who has it and who is running out?" he asked...

The voice came back saying: "We have it, and they want ours _and theirs! _I beg you...please help us!"

Everett again opened the question to everyone there; "Do we trust them?" he asked.

Nick replied; "Everett, as this is not our war; we don't know who is telling the truth, no matter what they sound like. Either party could be acting; I know that sounds harsh, but things are never as they seem, _especially_ out here."

Eli spoke for everyone there; "Dr Rush is right General; we don't know who is who..."

Everett thought for a moment, as Eli's brain fired an answer;

"General... we get Destiny to hack their ships computer for any info we can, and see what gives..."

* * *

><p>Castell knocked on Te'arly's door; "It's your strange uncle my dear, can I come in?"<p>

Te'arly launched herself at the door as fast as an eight month pregnant woman can; she almost jumped on him with a hug fit for a long lost friend.

"Oh, I've missed you so much..." she said lovingly.

Castell hugged her back tenderly "And I have missed the two of you... How are things going Sweetheart?" he asked in a fatherly way.

Te'arly smiled with sadness behind her eyes; "All is well with the three of us..."

She couldn't put it past Castell who knew there was much more to this; he sat on the bed with her holding Te'arly's hand between his and said:

"Go on Sweetie, spill it... what's wrong, tell Daddy Castell why my girl is so sad inside?"

Te'arly's tears beat her words; "You really are the father I never had..." she said quietly.

Castell knew this was from her very being, and put his arms around her shoulder; Te'arly snuggled into him, like daughter and father.

"I'm so scared..." she whispered through her tears.

"About what Darling?" he asked gently.

Te'arly looked Castell in the eyes; "My age..."

Castell had to think for a moment until he realised her problem; it was somewhat similar to his own planet. "Oh...that's right; your home world is slower than his. Have you worked it out yet, in Earth years?"

"Yes; a year on my world is about 657 Earth days; it's almost one of my years to two of his. In my home I'm thirty five; in Earth years I am sixty three. I'm worried because I age slower than Everett; and so will my son. He also doesn't know that our pregnancy period is faster than theirs."

Castell could see why it upset her so much; "You will live much longer than him, wont you..."

"Yes, most of my people live into their seventies or early eighties; that could make me one hundred and forty four Earth years old. My soul partner would be gone...and, and..."Te'arly sniffled and cried "and I'll be left alone..." she cuddled into Castell's chest as he held her tightly, softly caressing her long hair.

Castell could feel her pain; he knew this had torn many ascended beings back to worlds too; Yes, love was the bond that held people together above all else. For all their reason and science, the Valeyians knew _what really mattered in life; and it all came down to one nine letter word:_

_Happiness _

As Castell held his "adopted" daughter in his arms, he was reminded of an old saying from his world; "Love today, for tomorrow is no one's" he said to Te'arly.

She turned her head toward him asking: "What do you mean?"

Castell replied; "It is an old saying we have on our world; it means you should enjoy the moment because we don't know what may happen next. Enjoy the time you have with him Sweetheart, here and now; no one knows what tomorrow may bring." He gave her a big cuddle; "I will always be here for the both of you; especially you..." Castell kissed her on the forehead, and stood up; "I need to see how Everett is going with this "war"..." he chuckled.

Te'arly smiled, wiping a tear from her cheek "Thank you...Daddy" she said with heart warming thanks, and cheeky smile.

"Good bye Sweetie..." smiling, he disappeared out the door...

"General... we get Destiny to hack their ships computer for any info we can, and see what gives..."

As Eli finished his sentence, Castell appeared from nowhere on the bridge; with an impeccable English accent he said: "Afternoon Chaps, what's happening?"

Everett looked around at him and smiled; Castell had a way of turning the tensest situation into a comedy show every time. "You do realise its morning don't you?" said Everett still smiling.

Nick rolled his eyes at the sight of Castell; incredible technology, but he always acted like the village idiot. The truth was, Nick was jealous of what Castell and his people were capable of, and understood; in return, Castell knew Nick wasn't ready to see the truth of the universe yet, and not even slightly concerned about Dr Rush's opinion of him.

Again a message came over the com channel. "Are you there? Please help us..."

Everett poised his finger above the talk button; Castell gave him an approving nod.

He pushed the button. "Ok, we will meet with you; I will send some coordinates for a meeting place away from here and somewhere safe. Tell me how long it will take for your ship to reach it" Everett looked at Rush.

"Sending now General..." said Nick.

Amanda spoke; "Destiny is accessing their computer now; downloading data. General, I think they will know we hacked their systems; Destiny is good, but they will know the files have been accessed."

The answer came back "It will take us ten moments to arrive there, at maximum speed."

Everett looked at Eli asking; "How long is a moment?" He shook his head, "What is our E.T.A Eli?"

Eli shrugged; "At full sublight, maybe a minute or two. I assume they mean ten minutes; man they have slow ships."

Everett nodded; "Ok..." he opened the com: "We will remain here to cover your exit, and meet you there shortly."

One ship and a fighter turned and left, headed toward the rendezvous point; the others returned to the battle, with one of the fighters being taken out within moments of leaving.

* * *

><p>Chloe turned Destiny to leave; several blasts hit her shields in the process. Watching on screen, five smaller arrow ships continued to follow and fire at Destiny.<p>

Everett said; "Damn it, I don't want them to follow us. Dr Franklin, can you target their engines only; I don't want to destroy their ships, just disable them..."

Franklin smiled "On it General; firing side guns." Within seconds, all five vessels were disabled in one form or another; Destiny's scanners detected no loss of life on the primitive ships, as Chloe increased to full sublight speed.

Castell put his hand affectionately on Everett's shoulder; "Good job Ev, clever decision... This war has been escalating over a couple of their years now, which is about one and a half of your years."

Everett asked the obvious question; "Why haven't you intervened before then?"

"The same reasons you decided not to; it isn't our war. One day you will understand that you can't fix everything; just remember if you try too, don't make matters worse. This is one of the reasons the Ancients don't like to interfere with humans and others." Castell always made a good point.

Everyone on the bridge understood what Castell had just said; Everett made the comment: "I'm starting to see why now."

Chloe interrupted "Ten seconds General..." She closed in on the two vessels and brought Destiny to a halt.

The ancient ship dwarfed the alien craft; Everett got on the radio to Matt with an order for two X302's to keep watch, then the com with a message.

"This is Commander Young; I have sent out two of our fighter ships to control the area, do you have a shuttle vessel available to commute to us?"

The reply made Everett lift an eyebrow. "No, our ship only carries fighter craft...but there is room for one of your shuttles we saw on the top deck of your ship."

Nick smiled at Everett; "I told you, nothing is as it seems..."

Everett made it clear, "I'm well aware of that Dr Rush!"

Eli had a thought. "Why don't we just fly the shuttle remotely; that way, if anything goes wrong none of us are in danger? At worst case you could turn off the air, or if we had no other choice, self destruct it. Either way, the shuttle's shields are no match for the X302's new firepower..."

Everett smiled again at Eli saying, "Well let's hope it doesn't come to that; make it happen Eli."

Sgt Greer got the call from Everett; "Have a heavily armed team on standby in the dock area, out of sight."

"Rodger that Sir; on my way" replied Greer.

Eli played with the CI screen for a few minutes before saying; "The shuttle is ready General, we can control it from here; I have also activated the onboard camera to keep watch. I have programmed a complex algorithm security lock on the shuttle controls; they'll just be passengers Sir."

"Good work Eli, I'll let them know where coming." Everett opened communications to the alien vessel. "This is Commander Young of Destiny; our shuttle has departed and will arrive to collect no more than two of your crew."

A reply came straight back; "Thank you Commander Young."

First Sergeant Greer was ready with his men in position, expecting the worst while hoping for the best.

Sgt Wallace called him on the radio; "Sir, our men are in position..."

Greer responded; "Good work Sergeant; no one fire until I give the order, unless you're fired upon. If that happens, take them both out."

Everyone on the bridge watched as two human people got onto the pilotless shuttle, and sat down in the pilot and co-pilot seats.

Eli smiled at Castell saying; "I would too..."

The two men didn't dare touch anything as Eli gently guided the shuttle to Destiny's hidden hanger bay. Sgt Greer and Cpl Stevens greeted the men as the doors to the shuttle opened; the two men carefully stepped out trying to take in the alien surroundings they now found themselves in.

Ronald spoke; "Hello; I am 1st Sergeant Greer, and this is Corporal Stevens. Welcome aboard Destiny...If you would like to follow me please." Ron kept his remarks to the point.

The two men stopped in their tracks at the sight of the readied Gen III X302; "Wow, we could probably win the war with just one of these; they're amazing, and so fast!"

Stevens raised an eyebrow to Greer, who gave him a discreet shake of his head "no" before saying to the men; "They are very fast, and manoeuvrable too; they're called a Generation III X302, please follow me." That was more than enough information for them he thought.

The whole time the men were in the hanger and on the way to the observation deck, two snipers discreetly followed; a sentry guard was placed outside of the doors, as Greer silently directed the men inside following behind.

Everett was standing at the window watching the stars as he heard the men enter the room; turning to face them he said very clearly;

"I am Commander Everett Young; our ship has fully automated defences both inside and out so be warned: do not attempt anything foolish. Now if you are here to ask us to fight on your side, this will not happen; it is not our war. We are only here to observe and show you the technological possibilities that await your people, if you can come to an understanding with your enemy. Normally I wouldn't lecture another race in these matters, but I believe under the circumstances here it is duly warranted."

The older and more decorated of the two men spoke up; "Commander Young; I can understand the position we have place you in but please, we are not here to make another enemy; especially one far more powerful than we have ever encountered. I apologise if we have given reason not to trust us, we simply seek another solution to our problem other than senseless killing." He bowed his head slightly and continued;

"Forgive me; I am General Tuk'Tak of the Ma'gers Army..." he held out his hand with an overturned clenched fist.

Now it was Everett's time to make an apology; looking at the upturned fist he said: "I'm sorry, I don't understand your greeting custom..."

Tuk'Tak gestured politely to Everett with his other hand, opposing his first; placing one on top of the other, only connecting wrist to wrist.

Everett got the hint and mimicked the movement with him; Tuk'Tak smiled as Everett said warm heartedly:

"Greetings General Tuk'Tak; welcome aboard Destiny..."


	24. Chapter 24

Thanks to everyone following this story. It may be a couple of weeks before the next chapter is up, as I haven't had time to start it yet but it will come... Cheers

SGU s04 e04

Aqua

While Everett spoke with General Tuk'Tak, another bizarre discovery was taking place on the bridge with Eli and Nick; Eli had finally noticed something was not right. Amanda was talking to Camille about negotiating a truce, as Eli suddenly swore under his breath loud enough for them to hear. Eli rechecked his screen for the third time before speaking;

"Um...guys; there's no stargates here..."

Nick looked over at him skeptical of his comment: "What do you mean there's no stargates, Eli?"

A slightly bewildered Eli turned to Nick; "I mean none of the planets here are bringing up gate addresses in Destiny's systems; if they're here, it's like they're all offline."

Nick double checked the gate address systems; Eli was right, none were showing up. He abruptly turned his attention to Castell, still watching the action on the bridge. "So, what gives? Did you know they didn't have stargates on their worlds?"

Castell acknowledged Nick with a more civil tone; "All the inhabited planets in this galaxy, dead or alive, have stargates. Did you ever consider they might not want the enemy to just dial through a warhead of some description?"

Amanda and Camille chuckled at the simplest of answers; "He's probably right Nick, wouldn't that be an obvious answer?"

Eli joined in silently with Amanda saying; "That's a...pretty good reason to have your gate offline..." Eli's smile soon disappeared as he read the results of a scan on his screen; "O M G!" he looked at everyone in the room, "One of the planets...has a naquadria core!"

* * *

><p>Nick said to all of them; "Franklin had been tracking the increase in naquadah deposits, from early on in this galaxy; he told me a couple of weeks ago the trail had been somewhat cold for a while." He gestured toward Castell saying; "You knew didn't you; the "aqua" is not water..." He turned to everyone, "Its naquadah!"<p>

Castell put up his hands toward Dr. Rush saying, "Slow down my friend; I am only here to observe how you handle situations first hand, not to get involved. However, you didn't need my help in solving this one now, did you? No, you came up with that answer yourself Dr Rush; and I will tell you it is the correct one as well."

Nick shook his head in frustration; "You know it wouldn't hurt for you to give a little help sometimes..."

Camille decided she had heard enough of Dr Rush's constant criticism of people, and left the bridge.

The ever patient Castell just laughed at Nick's outrage. "If I told you everything, what would you learn?"

Eli stood there listening to what was going on; he could see the point Castell was making and understood why, saying: "He's right Dr. Rush; if we're given everything on a platter, what do we learn? I think he has given us more than we could ever dream of." Eli smiled at Castell.

Rush got on the radio, "Sergeant Greer, this is Dr. Rush."

Greer answered quietly, "This isn't a good time Rush, better be important." He mumbled in a soft harsh whisper.

Rush continued; "This is urgent; I need to speak to you in private immediately...please."

Greer swiftly moved out of earshot of Everett and Tuk'Tak, "Ok Rush, what is so important?"

Nick stayed calm. "Aqua is not water; it is naquadah. One of these planets, most likely theirs, has a naquadria core; that is what the fight is over. I need you to tell General Young immediately..."

Greer held a poker face as he heard the news, "Understood...Dr. Rush." He carefully walked back to Everett and politely interrupted him with a quick word to his ear; "Commander, we need your attention on an urgent matter for several minutes."

Everett sincerely excused himself, as one of the crew offered their guests some food and drink. "This better have a good reason Sergeant!" Everett said, not very impressed.

"Sir, their "aqua" is our naquadah; Rush has found their planet has a naquadria core..." Greer kept it sharp and pointed.

"Thanks; does anyone else know about this?"

Greer shrugged "Just the guys on the bridge I guess, it wasn't common knowledge..."

Everett promptly returned to his guests without any suggestion of what he had just learned.

"Is everything alright Commander Young?" asked Tuk'Tak.

Everett smiled "Just a minor technical issue requiring my clearance; now, as you were saying the Yulonia people are after your reserves of aqua? This must be a very valuable resource for many people; can you describe what potential they believe it holds?"

Tuk'Tak was careful not to reveal too much in his answer; "We have obtained information about their intended uses; they consider it to be a rich source of energy. We have not succeeded in harnessing any large amounts of energy from the mineral, other than that of its explosive power." The General went silent for a moment before asking Everett; "Commander Young, may I ask why you are so interested in what is taking place here?"

Everett was ready for that question. "We are explorers; generally we will investigate any unusual activity that our sensor array collects." He thought hard before giving away the next piece of information. "We detected your weapons and explosions against the constant radiation noise of space, some light years away from our current course."

The answer only increased Tuk'Tak's interest of the distance; "You mean years of light speed travel? How many...exactly?"

Everett decided the truth was best; "It was a distance of sixty parsecs; being that there are about 3.26 light years, or years of light speed as you say, in a parsec. That would make it around one hundred and ninety five light years."

Tuk'Tak eyes widened as he grasped the figures Everett had said, but he wasn't finished with his questions yet. "How long did it take you to travel that extraordinary distance?"

Everett's expression remained very matter of fact; "Just over seven hours..."

Tuk'Tak went silent as the figures went through his head. "Your ship can travel at nearly half a light year per moment?" He was almost at a loss for words. "How... How is that even possible?"

Everett smiled before saying, "Which brings us to the point exactly; you will never find out if both sides are intent on destroying one another. Our technological advance was assisted by other races; some within our own galaxy, some from other galaxies. Our home planet has also had its share of wars; both from within different societies on the planet, and from other worlds. What we have today is because of decisions made yesterday, to always try to resolve conflict without resorting to violence. It is true that sometimes there is no other choice; for us, more has been gained by negotiation, rather than destruction."

"Well, Commander Young; it would seem that you and I are more alike than first appears" said Tuk'Tak.

Everett began to trust him saying; "More than you think. We were cautious with our first message not wanting to inflame the situation; my correct title is General Everett Young of Stargate Command and the Fifth Race Alliance. I am sorry to have misled you both."

* * *

><p>Tuk'Tak sat quietly for a moment absorbing what Everett just told him. "Hmmm; I can understand your reasons. Had our positions been reversed I may have acted similarly..."He smiled at Everett and nodded his head; "Understanding accepted. Now since we are here, how could we mutually benefit each other; would you have any suggestions General Young?"<p>

Everett smiled as Castell entered the observation deck. "General Tuk'Tak, Commander Dil'las, I would like to introduce a personal friend of mine, who is one of the leaders of a planet called Valeya, in this galaxy.

Castell walked up to the guest smiling in a diplomatic way. "Greetings; my name is Castell..." he automatically clenched an upturned fist and connected to Tuk'Tak's wrist in their traditional greeting.

Tuk'Tak smiled. "Have you encountered our world before Castell? Judging by that you're no stranger to our customs..."

Castell kept his diplomatic mask on for the time being saying; "Yes, although only through observation of your world...from ours."

Tuk'Tak and Dil'las looked at each other smiling but somewhat confused. "Excuse me, you observed our world from your own; did I hear you correctly?"

Castell just spoke as he does to everyone; "Yes that is correct. We have unsurpassed technology that even my friends here do not understand. What I am appointing too is that it is all within reach; so long as you two idiot races don't destroy yourselves in the process."

Everett's smile dropped from his face hearing Castell, but he knew him well enough to wait for the point.

Allowing this to sink in and observing their expressions of surprise, Castell paused. "I am not insulting either of you, but you have to understand the potentiality of what you have on your home world. What you are sitting on is a mineral which these people call Naquadah, which is only found in small areas of the known universe. It has huge implications as a power source for everything, provided you use it correctly; the biggest advantage comes from being able to dial a stargate into any galaxy in the universe, that's right I said universe!" Castell took a deep breath and continued, "The only thing you have made from it is slow ships and low grade weapons; even they are only using a tiny fraction of the potential power it can supply. You should have had ships with hyper drives or FTL drives by now, but you're wasting your time and resources on silly arguments about trade treaties..."

Chloe cut in over the com with some urgency; "General Young, Ori ship exiting from a wormhole to starboard; they're hailing us, Sir, and asking not to engage."

Everett quickly excused himself; "I am sorry gentleman, the ship that has entered here is everyone's worst nightmare... They destroy worlds for their own cause; you will be safe here, unfortunately if they open fire on your ship, it won't survive. I will endeavour to cover it with Destiny, please excuse me." Everett rushed off to the bridge with Castell in tow, leaving the men alone with Sgt Greer...

Everett looked at his friend Castell before they entered the bridge saying; "Honestly, what the fuck else is going to happen today; don't get me wrong, it is a privilege to be here..."

Castell cut in, "But some days are just a cluster fuck aren't they?"

The two men began to laugh merrily about the situation as Everett managed to say, "You've been watching too many Earth movies again; gotta love ol' Clint..." and continued to laugh as the bridge doors opened to the others' stares.

Castell covered their laughter well. "I never pick appropriate times to tell dirty jokes..."

Everett walked in blasé saying "Oh what the fuck do they want?" to the surprise of all standing there.

Eli was starting to believe something was seriously up with Everett; his whole attitude was so out of character from his normal focused reactions. "Um General Young, they just want to talk..."

Everett scoffed, "Huh, last time they just destroyed a world to stop people ascending; ok Eli open the channel, let's hear it.

Eli opened the frequency, and the Prior's voice wafted through. "We are here on a mission of peace..." he said.

With the channel open, Everett shook his head saying, "I don't believe you; when has the Ori wanted peace? You destroy people until they bow down to you; give me one good reason why I shouldn't just blow your ass away right now!"

The prior stayed calm and spoke very deliberately. "I thought you would be a more reasonable man to deal with, General Everett Young of Stargate Command. Why don't you allow this to be on screen so I can see you face to face?" The Prior gave away nothing; Everett smelled a rat.

Looking at Dr Rush, he got conformation of Destiny's weapons online without a word; her shields had already been at full capacity from the other small incursion. Eli had the V Bank readied with a firing solution, his finger poised above the button...

"Eli, put it on the screen... keep the picture up close to me only; I don't want them seeing too much..."

"Roger that...Sir" said Eli slowly as he opened the feed from the Ori.

As the picture of the Prior developed onto the screen, Everett was trying to work out the Ori's real intentions. They were not to be trusted under any circumstances; his fears were soon realised as Nick sent a message to the screen in front of him:

"Subspace channels are being blocked, no communications with Apollo. Will try and dial Earth for short duration data package transfer; until then, we are alone."

* * *

><p>The Prior spoke watching Everett's every move. "Oh I'm sorry, we seem to have stopped your subspace transmissions; now as I was saying, this is a mission of peace. We mean no harm to your ship or crew; but I do ask that you hand over the man beside you. I believe you know him as Castell."<p>

A chill fired up Everett's back, but he held his poker face without giving it away. "I have no idea who you're talking about!"

The Prior's laugh made Eli and Chloe cringe; he was ready for Everett's reply. "We could play this game all day General Young; however I believe that we may hold the upper hand today..." He waved his staff:

Five more Ori ships suddenly appeared on Destiny's sensors, surrounding them; Chloe let it be known: "General, five Ori ships have dropped from hyperspace all around us. Another four are patrolling the battle area!" The tremor in Chloe's voice was apparent to everyone there.

"Let it not be said that the all powerful Ori are not to be fair; I grant you twenty Earth minutes to make your decision. Surrender Castell; or we will wipe these miserable souls and their planets from existence..." the image on screen vanished; Eli cut the com.

Castell smiled at Everett saying; "See, total cluster fuck of a day!" He began to laugh; no one else joined in this time.

Everett smiled back "I won't do it; I'll think of something, but you have become part of _our _family and I'm not going to let this happen..." Everyone there could feel the sadness in his voice.

"Ev; I think of you as a son and Te'arly as a daughter; but this is my burden to bear. I am the reason they are here; they believe that turning me into a Prior will gain them access to Valeya, and they may be right...but probably not. What they don't understand is killing me will make me even _more powerful_ by ascension; I, unlike the others, am not governed by the non interference laws."

Eli asked Castell "But I thought once the treaty was signed, the Ascended were now free to interact with humans?"

Castell walked over to a clearly upset Eli and put his hand on his shoulder affectionately; "Eli, it's like the changing of the old guard: some do help at times, like Lady Destiny; others continue to follow a non interference life. The difference is, when it comes to your race it is now their choice to help or not. Often they want you to learn by your own actions, and will only give subtle guidance such as dreams; and as you know sometimes it is more obvious."

Nick told Everett; "General, the message is ready; it will send the moment the gate stabilizes with our I.D.C transmission, then close. If we leave the gate open too long, and they attack all at once...the power drain could be too much. Besides, we only have half a tank of gas which is still quite a lot, but not with the gate open..." Rush knew Everett was thinking about sending Castell to Earth to escape.

Chloe and Amanda finished their examination of Eli's firing solution; Amanda broke the news. "General, we cannot take them on here; I believe they know that too. The blast radius of even one ship would be huge and may set off a chain reaction with their other five ships so close. The people in this system would be wiped out by the other ships around the battle field. Even if we got to them, again the blast radius of one Ori ship would take out both sides of the battle." Amanda had a tear roll down her cheek adding weight to the realistic problem all of Destiny's new power brought; she wiped her tear before saying:

"Everett, we have no choice..."

They felt the gate come to life and quickly stop again; a sombre Dr Rush said; "The message got through...let's hope they're not far away."

Everett nodded his understanding; "Thanks Nick, let's hope so."

Castell said good bye to everyone on the bridge in his true affectionate style; "Everett, we must speak with Tuk'Tak and explain what is happening..." He headed for the bridge door, gesturing for Everett to follow.

Once outside alone Castell stopped time for the both of them; Everett looked at the frozen sentry guard outside the bridge in amazement. "I'm sorry to do this Ev, but it is the only way I can help. I need you to go to my world and tell Valhalla what has happened here. There is no address for my world; you just need to ask with your heart and hold out your hands, palms up toward the gate." Castell placed the palm of his hand on Everett's chest. "Focus on the feelings of peace my world gave you, and the gate will open; your race is _my race_ and we have the same abilities within."

Everett felt a warm tingling within his soul as a peaceful calm removed the doubt from his mind, and sharpened his focus. "Wow...that helped... How do you do this; freeze time?"

Castell laughed; "I haven't actually stopped anything, just extended our moment. To everyone else, we have just stepped out the door..."

A distant scream of noise began to ring in Everett's ears like a freight train coming towards him, until he heard the guard beside him say; "Is everything ok Sir?"

Everett smiled "Yes son, we'll all be fine..." The two of them headed toward the observation deck.

Tuk'Tak and Dil'las were watching the Ori ships out the observation deck windows; Greer met Everett and Castell as they entered.

"Sir, what's going on?" asked a confused Ronald.

Everett's trust in Ronald Greer was unshakeable as he told him the truth; "The Ori have demanded we hand over Castell, or they will attack everyone here to the point of extinction; I'm sorry Ron, we have no choice..."

Ron turned his attention to the man he considered a close friend; "We can't stop this, can we Castell?"

"I'm sorry Sergeant; not this time. I do believe it may be my own destiny to confront the Ori in person; and like you said, we will not bow down to them!"

The two men locked hands and pulled each other together, colliding at the chest; Greer spoke quietly to Castell: "Good luck my brother, give 'em hell!" Everett could see the sadness in Greer's eyes as he stood watching.

* * *

><p>Everett moved over to where General Tuk'Tak and Dil'las were watching out the window. Without turning around Tuk'Tak said to Everett; "Did you say they are called Ori? We have never encountered them before..."<p>

Everett stood beside him watching the same scene unfolding; "I know; you would all be dead or enslaved to Origin..."

Tuk'Tak stayed silent for a moment then said "So...you have the power to defeat them according to Sergeant Greer; yet you have not, why?"

Everett played it cool but told them the facts; "They are too close for one, the explosion is massive; we could get one and get away but; there are four more patrolling the battle field, with orders to destroy _all life_. Then they will go to your respective worlds and do the same."

Tuk'Tak thought it through; "We cannot defend ourselves against them?"

Everett was quick to reply "They have captured or killed countless other races; as far as we know, we are the only ones with the technology to defeat them. However, from our current position we can't fire; we would risk destroying everything you know."

"Sacrifices are needed in war General Young; you should understand that..." Tuk'Tak was getting annoyed at this game.

Everett turned to face him directly and lost his cool; "General Tuk'Tak; they have demanded we hand over Castell to save your worlds. One man for the lives of yours and your enemy's entire race; now why do you think that would be a fair sacrifice? Because honestly, he is family to me and your people are out there killing each other over a mineral in the ground..."

Tuk'Tak looked over to Castell, who appeared calm with a glass of Jack Daniels on ice in his hand. "He must be of great value to them; I am sorry for my hasty words General Young. One man, for mine and my enemies worlds...you are right; it is a very unfair sacrifice."

Castell smiled at Tuk'Tak and held up the glass; he let go leaving it hover in the air without a word spoken. Tuk'Tak and Dil'las dropped their jaws as they watched Castell, guide the half full glass toward them; he gestured for Tuk'Tak to hold out his hand palm up, and gently placed the glass onto it. The two men stood astounded at this wonderful magic trick; Castell walked up to them, collected the glass and after drinking the contents said;

"Ahh...You know I have to travel across the universe to get a whiskey that tastes this good... now that is the real magic" he smiled. "The answer is yes gentleman; I will be leaving to save your sorry asses again...when you work out what that means, you may finally understand who I am. Good Day." He turned to Everett; "We're running out of time, I must see Te'arly first, meet you there..." He vanished.

By the time Everett made it to his quarters, Te'arly was crying on Castell's shoulder begging him not to leave.

"I'm sorry Sweetheart, this is something I must do..." he said trying to comfort her. He got up with her and gave Te'arly back to Everett: "I guess this is my stop; the three of you are going to be fine. Your baby will grow up in a unique environment; be sure to give him time on worlds to adjust to daylight as well. I love you both..."

Eli's voice came over the com "General Young; they're asking for you..."

Castell hugged the two of them together for a moment yelling "Group hug!" and vanished...

By the time Everett got to the bridge the picture showed Castell in the custardy of the Ori. The Prior's next words meant nothing to Everett:

"You have chosen well General Young; these people will be left alone... any attempt to fire on us will result in an obvious penalty..." the picture zoomed in on Castell in cuffs.

As Everett watched Castell spoke to him telepathically; "Tell Valhalla and Robina I love them." Everett nodded; and with that the Ori ships entered hyperspace.

General Everett Young of Stargate Command and all of their incredible technology, only had one thought as the last ship disappeared into the dark: "Cluster Fuck!" His best friend was taken from him...

Te'arly had made her way to the bridge; tears in her eyes she asked; "Why...Why can't we help him?"

Everett tried to comfort her but she pushed and hammered him with her fists; he grabbed her arms and held Te'arly close, as she surrendered to her sadness and clung onto the man she loved. The mood in the bridge was that of loss; the loss of a man who had changed everyone's life and helped to give them reason in all the madness that had became their world.

"General, the Apollo has just exited hyperspace; Col. Mitchell is asking for you..." said Chloe, her pain evident in her words.

"Put him through Chloe, thanks" Everett kept hold of Te'arly.

Mitchell's voice came through the com; "Everett! You guys ok?" Cameron's concern was unmistakable in his absence of formality.

"Yeah Cam, we're ok...they got Castell!" was Everett's seething reply.

Cameron looked toward Dr Jackson; "Damn it, they took him..."

Daniel shook his head; Cameron beamed both him and Daniel onto Destiny's bridge. "We have to stop meeting under these circumstances; it's getting depressing" Cam said as he shook Everett's hand.

Everett told him what happened; "Tuk'Tak and Dil'las are still onboard in the observation deck; at least the Ori caused a truce in their war. We may be able to get the two sides to negotiate on one of our ships..."

Cameron interrupted; "I'll take them to Apollo; the Asgard will help negotiate." He paused for a moment before adding; "Speaking of ships, I believe an old friend of yours is on his way; he has made some headway with the Wraith and managed to secure Atlantis from any more attacks..."

Everett smiled slyly "Telford; what's the name of his new ship?"

Cameron's trade mark smile adorned his face "The Armstrong."

Everett laughed; "Not very original, but well deserved by a great man."

Col Mitchell couldn't contain his joy: "They took him for a ride on the maiden test flight; to say the least the crew were more impressed with the honour of having Neil aboard, than he was. Telford sat beside him in the co-pilots seat and gave him the reigns for a while; they went for a ten hour trip around the solar system, giving him a close up view of the planets. I wish I could have seen his face..." Both men knew what that would mean to someone; especially him.

* * *

><p>Daniel finished catching up with Dr Rush, Amanda, and Eli on the current situation before turning to Everett; "General Young, Col Telford is bringing the Ark of Truth with him; we believe they will try and convert Castell to a Prior, and this is the best way not to harm him."<p>

Everett nodded; "Good idea, I hope it works. As you know, the Ori here seem more hell bent on destruction than conversion; they aren't the same as others we encountered with SG1."

Daniel thought for a moment; "It is possible they are resorting to more drastic measures now that they know they're not untouchable. You have destroyed one ship, and we have used the Ark on the majority of the others; there can't be too many left now..." As soon as Daniel said it, he knew it was a mistake to underestimate the number of Ori untouched by the Ark. "Maybe I'll rephrase that: we have no idea how many are still "Ori"."

Everett took a deep breath and sighed; "Well gentleman, and ladies; I have a mission I need to attend too..."

Cameron looked at him; "Where?"

Everett's eyes said it before his words; "Valeya..."

Daniel's eyes lit up; "I don't mean to be insensitive, but would it be possible..."

Cameron put up his hand to Daniel to stop him; Everett spoke instead. "It's ok, Cam; I'd be grateful for the company...Dr Jackson." He knew Daniel's curiosity would make him ask; "Be in the gate room in ten minutes."

After Everett had said goodbye to Te'arly, he met Daniel in the gate room of Destiny.

Nick stood at the CI screen; "And just how do we dial this world...exactly? There is no known address..." He said with a smile.

Several people had joined them in the gate room; Everett asked for quiet, saying to Daniel: "I hope this works..."

He focused on the feelings as Castell had instructed; holding out his hands toward the gate, but nothing happened.

"Um... I'll try again, this isn't easy..." he said.

Te'arly was standing to the side of the gate; "Just relax baby, you can do this; remember what he taught us..."

Everett nodded and said to himself; "Happiness..." A brain storm came to him; "That's why he said it was more important than I thought; it is the key!"

Everett tried again; but this time he focused on the one thing that brought untold joy to his life...

The gate sprang to life and stabilized; Daniel kept looking at the gate with an amazed expression saying; "How'd you do that?"

Everett turned and looked at him, speaking a single word; "Happiness..."

Daniel repeated the word; "Happiness...Hmmm" he bit his bottom lip and shook his head slightly, still not quite understanding; "Well it seemed to work!" he replied in a more upbeat voice.

Everett took a step toward the gate; Daniel followed. They arrived out the other side onto the same platform Castell had first introduced his family to them; Valhalla appeared from the quantum doorway of the bridge.

Smiling she said; "My darling Everett, it brings joy to my heart to see you again" she step toward him and gently placed her hand on the side of his face affectionately. "And I see you have brought the famous Dr Daniel Jackson with you; it is nice to meet you in person, Daniel." He words washed over them with a kindness in their touch.

Daniel put out his hand in friendship; Valhalla ignored it and hugged him instead saying; "You are such a gentle soul Daniel; your young wisdom has helped many..."

Daniel was a little unsure and glanced at Everett who gave him a smiling nod; he then relaxed and hugged her back saying; "Thank you Valhalla..."

She stood back, looking at the two men before her. "My husband speaks very highly of you, Dr Jackson, I am glad you visited; there is much to discuss."

Everett tried hard to keep his smile, but Valhalla saw right through it to the hurt inside his heart. A tear rolled down from Valhalla's eye; she knew why they were here.

Wiping the tear proudly she said "It is ok, my Darling Everett; I know why you're here; he sent you..."

Everett just nodded; the pain apparent on his face, as he tried to hold his nerve and not cry. "I am so, so sorry we couldn't help..."

Valhalla stopped him with a finger to his lips; "Shhh my Darling; I can feel your hurt too." She gestured toward the bridge; "Please come; we have much to discuss."

Tears began to roll from Everett's eyes; Valhalla took him by the hand and led the way...


	25. Chapter 25

Hi... I have some other projects on the go a.t.m, so it will be a while until the next chapter... sorry to all of you who have been following this for the delay, but I will try my best to finish this series before the close of the year. Thanks.

SGU s04 e05

Fate

T.J cuddled into Varro closely, sleepily saying; "I'm so glad we found each other..."

There was no response from Varro; T.J shoved him playfully; "Hey! I'm talking to you..." she said with a smile; still no response. "Sweetheart, are you awake?" she shook him again, but this time more forcefully; still no movement. Her mind started to worry and she turned on the light...

"Arrrrgggghhhhhh!" she screamed...

Varro lay dead with the word traitor written in blood across his forehead and a bullet hole just under the word...

Varro woke up to her scream; "T.J, Honey... I'm ok; I'm fine...It's just a bad dream," he said reassuringly.

As she pulled away to look at him, Varro smiled; "See; I'm fine..." A trickle of blood ran down his nose forming a drip at the bottom; He smiled at T.J with a bullet hole between his eyes...

Tamara screamed with blood curdling force...

* * *

><p>"Tamara!" yelled Varro; he grabbed onto her as she cried and tried to pull away from him.<p>

"No! No!" she yelled as he held her tight.

"Honey; It's just a dream, I'm here; we're on Destiny. It's been more than three months; he didn't kill me..."

Slowly T.J looked at Varro; there was no blood, no wound. He was real and alive; "Tamara, you need to talk to Dr Wong Hoy; these dreams are getting worse baby. I'm worried about you..." She could feel his concern in his voice.

T.J settled down and wiped the tears from her face; "I know, I know...I don't understand why this is happening so much..." she hugged him. "I'm sorry..." she said as she kissed his neck...

A few hours later T.J sat in Dr Tasha Wong Hoy's makeshift office. Tasha was saying, "Please Tamara, just think of me as a friend to talk to, not a doctor."

T.J smiled and nodded, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. "I don't even think about it during the day; maybe because I'm busy with everything." Tamara said as she looked around the converted quarters.

Tasha made some notes as she listened, before saying; "What happens when it goes quiet?"

T.J lifted her head, looked at Tasha and said honestly; "I fall asleep; but then it comes..." T.J changed the subject. "I know you have been with us for several months now, but I don't really know you that well; if you don't mind me asking, how did you end up here?"

Tasha put down her pen and got comfortable in the chair; Smiling, she asked kindly; "Do you want the whole story, or the quick version?

Tamara giggled and smiled broadly at her saying; "Well, we're not going anywhere; might as well tell me all of it... if you don't mind?"

The doctor in Tasha knew she should stay on track; the woman in her wanted someone to call a friend so far from home: "Well why not. I was born in Hohhot, China which is a part of Inner Mongolia, a few hundred kilometres from Beijing. My father became an ambassador for the Chinese Government and was transferred to the U.S.A when I was six. I classify myself as American Chinese, and became a citizen of the U.S when I turned sixteen..."

Tamara nodded; "That's why you accent is so perfect, I thought you must have been born in the U.S."

Tasha laughed; "You could say I was reborn in the U.S. I studied philosophy in America and returned to China when I was twenty four to do the same. Two years later, I came back and got into psychology; on graduation, my father helped me get a job in the government, with the I.O.A."

Tamara was curious and asked, "What about your mother, is she in the U.S as well?"

Tasha took a deep breath; "In a matter of speaking; she passed away five years ago from a brain tumour. We only had about six months notice; she used to get constant headaches, but didn't want to bother anyone with it. By the time she was diagnosed, it was too late..." Tamara could see the hurt in Tasha's eyes.

T.J felt bad for asking; "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

Tasha put up her hand openly; "No, T.J it's fine... Life has a strange way of working out in the end."

T.J was enjoying asking her questions; Tasha knew she could help her if they felt more comfortable with each other, and didn't mind just "talking" to someone.

"When did you find out about the Stargate Program; was it when you joined the I.O.A?" asked Tamara.

Tasha smiled; "My father had contacts high up in many departments; China knew of the Stargate Program not long after it started. Eventually the United States Government came clean and told us what we already knew. He told me some years ago and showed me satellite pictures he smuggled home, of Go'uld mother ships; I knew then I wanted to be part of what was going on."

Tamara was now feeling much more comfortable with Tasha; she admired her passion for her work and study, seeing her in a different light...that of a friend. However, there was one more provocative question she just had to ask; "Why Destiny; how did you end up here?"

"I guess the idea of being on an Ancient ship across the universe is kind of romantic in a way; my father now helps with trade treaties between the U.S and China, with one commodity being alien technology. He was proud of me wanting to be a part of this, and insisted I accept the offer if it was given; and here I am!" Tasha laughed with T.J; "A bit easier than you guys had it at first, so all of you have my utmost respect; I have read the early logs, you guys did it pretty tough."

T.J reflected on what the first few months aboard Destiny were like; "Thanks, it was tough." Tamara stared at Tasha for a moment. "These dreams I have; I see Varro dead... They scare me..."

Tasha smiled inwardly; she had broken through, and found a friend...

* * *

><p>Valhalla sat on a brilliant white lounge chair in her elegantly decorated alien home, with Everett and Daniel opposite. As they looked around the room, there were three dimensional octagonal wall features of grey and silver; water cascaded down the feature wall behind the shapes, with soft rainbow colours illuminating through the water. Her "apartment" had a very calming and relaxed atmosphere.<p>

Everett summoned the courage and spoke compassionately to her; "Castell asked me to tell you firstly, that he loves you and Robina; secondly, what happened."

This time Valhalla held back her tears; "I know what happened; we observed it. My Darling Everett, it was his choice to be there; he knew they were coming. This is to protect all that we know from the Ori, but there was another reason for him sending you here."

Everett looked at Daniel without a clue as to what that might be; "What is it?" he asked Valhalla candidly.

She answered the same; "The Prior who took him; is his nephew. He has been a Prior for hundreds of years; the Ori have kept him alive for this moment. They believe if our world and people are destroyed, there will be nothing to stop them ruling the universe under the banner of Origin; Castell was the key, or so they think."

Daniel's scientific mind started to work; "So, he isn't really the key; more like the key maker?"

Valhalla placed her hand on Daniel's knee smiling; "You are very intelligent Daniel my sweetheart; you will make her a great husband one day... Yes, but your ship has the _real_ key; not the database, but a _person_."

Daniel and Everett both now looked confused, but over different things for a moment; Daniel soon refocused on the problem at hand.

Everett asked; "Who is the person?"

Valhalla answered indirectly, not giving it away; "Only two people know; it will not be apparent for some time, but that person will have the ability to understand the un-explainable; it is something inherited from the universe itself."

Daniel gave Valhalla a sideways look, creasing his brow thinking about the answer; "That's because they haven't been born yet; isn't it?" he said slowly as he nodded to his own thoughts.

Valhalla smiled broadly at Daniel, then turned to Everett saying, "It is a shame Daniel cannot see the love before him, yet he can work out I was talking about an unborn child..."

The realisation dawned on Everett like a ton of bricks; "Eli and Ginn!" he said aloud.

Daniel did the same but with a different name; "Vala!"

Valhalla laughed at the two "boys" before her; "It is so innocent and beautiful to watch the pair of you, when you come to your own realisations of what is around you." She paused for a moment then said; "And you are both right..."

Daniel asked the really tough question. "Why did Castell let them take him; I mean, surely there was something he could have done?"

It was the first time Valhalla let emotions come to the surface as she sighed; her hurt was now plainly evident in her words.

She paused for a moment then said; "He has done this for the greater good of humanity across the universe. No matter how much I wish it wasn't so, he is right. As a Prior of the Ori he will become their leader; his power is such that if he is shown the Arc of Truth, _all Ori will fall forever!_"

Daniel looked strangely at Valhalla; "But I thought Adria was their leader? After we used the Arc, she was in eternal battle with Morgan le Fay. Now you're saying Castell will be the leader; sorry but how is that possible?"

Valhalla looked sternly at both men, weighing up their ability to comprehend what happened and possible reactions. "What I'm about to say may be difficult for you to understand; Adria is here, on Valeya. Everett, you are responsible for that; when you destroyed their ship, it had such a shock impact on her; Morgan was able to bind her power. Adria was then stripped of ascension and given back to us, as you were Daniel."

Daniel finished her sentence; "And had her memory wiped clean..."

"Yes; but that is not all. The Ancients decided to give back something the Ori took from her; childhood. She was six years old when returned to us, several months ago; she is in the care of my sister, who is raising her as one of their own. All traces of Ori have been cleansed from her; mind, body, and soul. Adria will grow up to be a Valeyian, just like me; she deserved a chance at a normal life."

Daniel wasn't convinced; "Sorry to say but I am sceptical of that; I guess only time will tell..."

Valhalla looked at Daniel with understanding of his reaction. "I understand Daniel; we will keep a close eye on her development." She knew Daniel had came close to killing Adria when she was a child with the Ori; Valhalla was proud that he didn't have to live with that decision.

Everett shook his head; placing his head in his hands. He rubbed his temples as the stress inside him built up to migraine standard. He asked; "So what now, we have to play hide and seek with Prior Castell?"

Valhalla's eternal smile returned to her face; "No my Darling, he will come to you. Ev, he didn't just clear your mind outside the bridge; he gave you _his power of enlightened understanding. _You and Te'arly need to stay with us for a while so I can teach you how to use it; that is the real reason he told you to come." She turned her attention to Daniel; "Daniel, sweetheart, you are welcome to bring your ship here to learn about us and our technology; you can bring Everett and Te'arly with you when you come..."

Before either of them could say any more, Valhalla stood and said; "It is time to leave... I will see both of you in two days; Everett, you will know the way."

All of a sudden, they found themselves on the platform in front of the gate, alone. Everett thought of Te'arly on Destiny and smiled; the gate opened and they stepped through, emerging back on Destiny.

Daniel looked at Everett; "Whoa; did that just happen?"

* * *

><p>Castell stood in front of Prior Genesis, his nephew; he laughed and shook his head wearily, before saying: "Genesis? You know your name was really Givine; why now Genesis?"<p>

Genesis smiled at his much older uncle saying; "Givine is not a servant of the Ori; only a Prior called Genesis now exists. I am the birth of the new Origin; and you will come to obey me!" His deep voice sent echoes through Castell's soul.

Four other Priors were surrounding him using their power to subdue Castell's amazing abilities. He was an incredibly focused individual, with super human endurance; but this was draining his energy fast.

Castell fought their power with his entire mind's strength and finally managed to say something; "Why don't you just convert me to a Prior..." he stammered for breath; "...and we can get on with it."

Genesis began to laugh boisterously; "Why? So you can lead us to the Ark of Truth? I don't think so..._Uncle Castell!" _He used the collective of the Ori power on the last words. "_Now; bow to the Ori!"_

Castell was sweating and gritting his teeth, trying to stand; blood began to trickle from his nose, as he strained against the powerful forces pressing him down to his knees. In the back of his mind he knew why; he had given much of his higher abilities to Everett. He also understood it would take time for his plan to work; the crew of Destiny would come, and they would bring forth the final destruction of the Ori. It gave him one last bit of strength to fight.

Castell said something through his teeth, he had never said to another living soul in his twelve hundred odd years:

"_FUCK YOU!" _

He fell to his knees, surrendering to the pain coursing through his very being; then passed out from exhaustion.

Genesis looked at his unconscious uncle on the deck of his ship. "Take him to a holding cell; but bind the cell from the outside world. He has extraordinary powers and can vanish through space and time; I doubt he has the power to open his own eyes for now..."

Four Priors and eight armed guards of the Ori army took the unconscious Castell to a cell; several other prisoners were in adjoining cells. Castell carefully opened on eye slightly to avoid detection and noted that he knew one of the men being held by the Ori. He continued to relax his body in a limp state, as they threw him recklessly onto the hard floor; the Priors began to focus on binding the cell from any form of telepathy.

Knowing he was being watched from internal cameras, Castell remained in his hibernating state of meditation for another hour; slowly he got up and rose to his feet, only to fall helplessly again.

Thinking to himself he said "I hope that looked good on camera..." and he dragged his tired body up to the hard bed a few moments after. Keeping up his appearance of being physically exhausted wasn't hard, for it was the truth; the Priors had taken much of his energy to combat their collective powers. Castell had been around long enough to know how the Ori would react to him; he knew they wouldn't make him a Prior, nor could they afford to kill him. He might not have held all the aces in his hand, but old Castell was a master at playing a bad hand well! He lay down and got some well earned rest...

Back on Destiny, Everett and Daniel had discussed what Valhalla had told them with the crews from both ships. Telford had not yet arrived in the Armstrong, but was well under way.

Cameron Mitchell stood up and walked around the table in Destiny's ready room. "Well on a brighter note, at least we got the Yulonia and Ma'gers talking without killing each other. They were more shocked at meeting Asgard Odin and some of the Ursini crew; I don't think they have met too many different races..." He paused at an empty chair and leaned over it, resting his forearms on the table. "So... What do we do?" he said in a semi defeated manner.

Everett sighed deeply. "There isn't much we can do for the moment. The Ori seem to know the destructive radius of their ship, so you could put money on the fact they'll get in close to us. And for that matter; we don't know which ship Castell is on, or what they have done to him."

Cameron nodded slowly; "It does seem to be in their favour for now."

Daniel looked blankly at the wall in front of him. "All we can do is what Valhalla has asked..." He turned his head toward Everett; "I guess that means you have to get us there..."

Everett sat back in his seat, ran his right hand through his hair, and sighed again. Smiling to cover his stress, he replied; "If I can work out how..."

Dr Rush asked; "Ok; if you go to Valeya, what do the rest of the crew do in the mean time?"

Everett looked over to him; "Scott and Greer will look after the military side; you, Amanda, Camille, and Eli take charge; we need everyone's input to make things work. We will have to help the Yulonia and Ma'gers sort things out, for both their sakes. Give them a better idea of what they're sitting on, and how to use it more effectively; it's such a rare element, we don't want it to go to waste."

Nick nodded; "Alright; if you're not back by the time all this gets sorted out, we'll continue on our original course..."

Everett turned his attention back to Cameron. "How did it go with the test weapon for the Ori Prior?" he asked with some hope.

Cameron answered with some positive news. "Not there yet; but they have had some results showing potential. I don't know Ev, could be a while yet." Cameron smiled at a tired Everett. "How long has it been since you went back to Earth?"

Everett gave a slight chuckle. "I've lost track of time; not much there for me now, my life and everything I love is aboard Destiny... How did the disclosure go?"

Cameron beamed a smile at him. "It seemed that most of the world was willing to accept what was happening. There was some unrest at first from the general public; most caused by some religious extremists, but when the Asgard started interacting with governments and businesses, people soon began to accept it. I think in the end they had no choice but to see the truth; we are not the only beings in the universe. Of course, big business just realised it had another market to tap into; the environment is being cleaned up, technology is improving really fast."

Both Nick and Everett hadn't left Destiny for many months, and they were interested in the changes to Earth and the people there. "What else has changed?" asked Nick.

Daniel filled him in. "New technology, along with ground breaking physics and mathematics is being taught in many schools; along with different known species ways and customs. It is a whole range of new stuff really; from matter stream technology to Ur'torina generators and drives. Completely new areas of business have opened up in technology design and tourism. Companies like Ford, GM, and Chrysler are now working with NASA, designing flying cars and personal space craft. I think the biggest thing was the realisation of wealth difference; the gap between rich and poor is fading fast, as technology improves living standards across the world. Nobody can hide from this anymore; the truth is not only out there, it's right in their face."

Cameron took over. "The Asgard used beaming technology to snatch and grab most of the criminals, tyrants, and terrorist we couldn't get near. Being that they were taken by alien forces, Earth rules and laws didn't apply; they have been placed in permanent stasis until we figure out what to do with them. One issue that is still being sorted through is the removal of all drug laws, globally; basically it caused the drug barons to become bankrupt within weeks. People were given treatment to cure addictions of all kinds; subsequently, crime fell dramatically and smoking is nearly extinct also. It is a different world than what you left several years ago..."

Nick surrendered his thoughts aloud; "I just hope all of this change is a benefit to mankind, not a curse..."

* * *

><p>Ron sat down in the dome with Matt, laying back and looking out the roof at the stars. "You know, I never get tired of this view now" he said hiding his real feelings.<p>

Matt just shook his head and replied; "You nearly killed him, Ron."

Ron had an answer waiting; "Chloe would have hit Tez, if she'd seen how she acted around you at first... I thought you would be on my side."

"Ron, that was months ago man; you broke Professor Thomas's jaw. He wants to bring you up on charges!" retorted Matt.

Ron scoffed back. "Why the fuck do you think? He tried hitting on Lisa after she told him to back off, more than once. Just cause he's some hot shot astrophysicist who's good looking, doesn't give him the right to be an asshole..."

Matt was on Ron's side, but he had seen the recording and knew different. "Man, did you see it? Did you see what actually happened?"

Ron shook his head; "Nope; just what Lisa told me." Lisa didn't say anything to Ron, he had heard it second-hand; but now he was in trouble for his hasty actions.

Matt fished around in his pocket and pulled out a flash drive. He handed it to Ron, but held onto it as he tried to take it saying; "This is the footage Destiny recorded..."Matt looked hard at Ron with sadness in his eyes; "Before you do something stupid, at least know all the facts..."

He wanted to say sorry as he knew that this would hurt Ron; but they were on a ship across the universe, and there was nowhere to hide. Greer was his closest friend and Matt just knew this was going to be tough on both of them...how tough? He was about to find out.

Half an hour later, as Ron watched the footage in his command quarters alone; he saw what Matt was trying to protect him from. Ron's heart sank as he watched Lisa kiss the Professor passionately, before she freely gave herself to him. The hardened 1st Sergeant shed tears as he watch the girl he loved, making love to another man; he opened the draw beside him and took out the small red box. Opening it up, and looked at the beautiful diamond engagement ring inside. His heart stopped beating; falling to the floor, it shattered like glass on concrete...

As soon as it took another beat, rage surged through his body; the computer and ring went flying across the room. A whole clip of 9mm rounds from his pistol followed the computer, obliterating it into fragments. The spent mag didn't have time to hit the floor before the next one was loaded and ready; Ronald slumped in his chair and placed the pistol to his head as the door opened; Matt yelled and leapt toward him, knocking the pistol off its course as a round expanded in the chamber. The projectile exited the muzzle with a crack, spinning of harmlessly into the wall.

The two men scuffled, but thankfully Matt came up trumps; Ronald gave up and surrendered. Matt helped him up and held onto him as Ron's emotions let loose; he cried on his best friends shoulder for nearly ten minutes. Ronald Greer, the toughest Marine this side of the universe; had never felt pain like this before, and all he could wonder was:

"Why? Why did she leave me?"

Matt knew the truth; Chloe had spoken to Lisa after she had tried to break up with Ron, about two weeks before. Ron couldn't understand why, but it was a simple case of Lisa just not feeling the magic between them anymore. What she hadn't counted on was Ron's angry reaction. She hadn't moved on from Ron, but she was an independent woman and deserved her own life. Having a fling with Frank Thomas was exactly that; a fling. She didn't want to lead Ronald on by continuing to sleep with him. Lisa was honest, but she had no idea of the events that would follow. She knew the depth of Ron's love for her and wanted desperately to give him the same; but being true to her heart, returning the love just didn't happen anymore.

She was hurt by Ron's actions toward an innocent man; from this point on, she had lost her trust in him.

Matt kept a hand on Ron's shoulder saying; "I'm so sorry man...but you gotta let her go; she cares about you, _but she ain't in love with you like you feel for her..._"

Finally through his tears, Sergeant Ronald Greer accepted the truth; the one he loved was no longer able to love him back. It didn't lesson the pain in anyway, but he regained his focus on the surroundings, and sighed.

"Ok, I guess I better go see General Young and explain..." said a defeated Ron.

"I'm standing right behind you, Sergeant..." said Everett calmly.

Greer Immediately stood and snapped to attention; "I am ready to explain my actions, Sir!" he yelled in full military voice.

Everett quickly put up his hands to slow him down. "Ron; it's ok; at ease...I'm not here to chastise you; for anything..."

Everett walked over and looked at the ruminants of the destroyed computer. Leaning down he picked up the undamaged red box, and handed it back to Ron.

Looking directly at him, Everett said; "You know, as much as I hate to say it; life can be a bitch sometimes. Just when you think everything is going smoothly, something always throws in a curve ball."

Ron looked back at him with complete sadness in his eyes; "Yeah...tell me about it..." he said sarcastically. "You can keep it; give it to Te'arly..." as he passed the ring back to Everett, who took it to save upsetting Ron any further.

"I'll hang on to this until you need it..." said Everett.

"I won't be..." replied Greer, waving his hand.

Everett smiled at Matt and turned back to Ron, who was now sitting in the chair that Matt had found him in. Ignoring Ron's wave, he said "I have spoken to Professor Thomas; he has agreed not to pursue the matter any further, provided you stay clear of him... Is that understood, Sergeant?"

Ron gave a nod; "Yes Sir..." he paused for a moment before adding soberly; "Thank you General..."

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before Lisa heard the news of what happened. She sat with Camille feeling painfully sorry for everything.<p>

"Lisa, these are not your actions..." said Camille. "You can't be responsible for how Ronald acted."

Lisa stared at the wall blankly saying; "He was going to propose to me; he showed the ring to Chloe and Matt, to see if they thought I'd like it." She turned to Camille. "I...I just...couldn't..." Lisa stammered between tears.

Camille reached out and hugged her as Lisa continued to cry. "It's ok Lisa, you had to be true to your own heart; I know it all seems messed up now, but if you weren't sure you loved him the same way...you made the right choice."

Lisa sat back and wiped her eyes saying; "I should have never rebounded with Frank; I mean, he's a nice guy and all, but it was just sex and loneliness..." She thought for a moment; "I caused this... My actions caused all of this; he never would have hit Frank if it weren't for my selfishness."

Camille grabbed Lisa's hand. "Selfishness... Are you kidding me? If you had of gone back to sleep with Ronald and lead him on, now that would be selfish. Don't get me wrong, I care deeply for both of you, but you are not selfish for needing the touch of another person; even if it was just for sex." Camille then asked Lisa; "How did Ron find out about you too anyway?"

Lisa shrugged. "I don't know; I was just talking to Frank in the observation deck. He made a couple of advances, but I told him no; at first. I saw him in private the next day and; well you know." Again her sad silence spoke volumes. "I guess one of his guys must have seen it all and told him; I don't know..." Lisa shook her head and ran her hands through her hair; "I'm just so sorry I hurt him even more; Ron is a sweet guy, he deserved better..."

Although she didn't say it, Camille agreed. After her own experience, Camille had a special bond with Ronald for saving her life. She had come to understand much more personally about the tough Marine with a soft heart; Camille had loved the fact these two had seemed inseparable, but she was well aware of how relationships can end. Even when you still love someone...

Some hours later, Everett and Te'arly said their goodbyes to everyone, and were beamed aboard the Apollo. Telford had finally arrived in the Armstrong, the latest and most advanced ship in the Enterprise class. The negotiations with the Yulonia and Ma'gers continued after being moved onboard Telford's ship; progress was slow, but steady. For now, both sides signed off on a peace treaty; withdrawing their forces back to their respective planets. Technology was offered to both parties in the equal form, of medical advances and improved crop cultivation. Although the Ma'gers planet had the naquadria core, the Yulonians also had vast deposits of Naquadah. The Asgard aboard the Armstrong negotiated for lasting peace over plans for power generation and ship propulsion.

Everett stood in the bridge of the Apollo holding Te'arly's hand as Cameron followed his every word for direction. It was a strange sensation he felt inside, telling him which way to go; for the crew on the bridge, their collective feeling was that they were headed in the wrong direction.

The navigator came over to Cameron. "Colonel, the coordinates he is taking us to... Sir, there is nothing there..."

Cameron smiled; "I know that Airman, but just watch..."

Everett turned to Cameron. "On my mark, drop out of hyperspace..."

Cameron acknowledged him with a nod, and turned to his crew. "Prepare to exit hyperspace on General Young's mark..."

Everett squeezed Te'arly's hand gently as he felt the countdown inside him. The feelings and sensations he could feel in his body were exhilarating; like he had taken some strange drug. Inside his mind he could feel the voices of those that Castell loved, getting closer; it was almost as though Castell was inside his body with him.

Everett spoke up clearly; "Five...four...three...two...one...Mark!"

The Apollo slid back into normal time and space, coming to a halt. After a moment, a voice called out from behind the sensor array controls; "Sir, we're not detecting anything except normal space radiation."

Cameron quickly answered; "Thankyou Corporal; this is where General Young should do some magic..."

Everett turned to him and shrugged with a smile; "I hope so..."

Cameron smiled back; "You can do this Ev, I know you can..." he said with blind faith.

Te'arly rubbed her hand across the small of Everett's back; he looked at her as she said; "It's within you Honey; I love you..."

Everett focused out the bridge window, onto an area about three thousand kilometres away. Slowly he felt a power building up inside the pit of his stomach, and began to spread through his whole being. His right arm outstretched in reflex with his palm up; the Apollo began to vibrate and shake causing several alarms to activate. Everett didn't lose focus as the power seemed to flow from his finger tips, toward the point of his focus:

"Holy Mother of God..." exclaimed Cameron as an entire planet unmasked before them with a rumbling roar.

A tired Everett turned back to the astounded crew; "Ladies and Gentleman, may I present planet Valeya..." and with that he collapsed on Te'arly...


	26. Chapter 26

Hello to everyone reading. Yes it has been many weeks, but finally I have the next update. I no longer have the amount of time I use to have to write, but I will continue. This episode has a more traditional SG element to it, and I hope you all enjoy reading it. Thanks...

SGU s04 e06

Ability

"Everett–Everett, can you hear me my love?" asked Te'arly softly.

Everett groaned, "Oh my head..." and lifted his hands to his head. "Where are we?" he looked around but nothing looked recognizable.

"You're on Valeya in a medical facility" said the familiar voice of Daniel Jackson. "You collapsed after revealing the planet–do you remember?"

Everett sat up and held his throbbing head. "Yeah...I remember." He squeezed Te'arly's hand and smiled at her, "I remember that I love you too."

Te'arly had a tear run down her cheek as she moved in and cuddled up to Everett. "I love you too..." she whispered to him.

A few minutes later Cameron Mitchell walked in. "How you feeling General–that was a hell of a show you put on for us... Did you like use the Force, or did that just come natural?"

Everett tried to laugh, but it made his head throb worse. A Valeyian nurse dressed in a traditional silver robe came stepped into the cubical he was in.

"Ah, General Young" she said smiling. "I see you're awake–let me give you something for your pain." She gently placed a small round, grey stone at his feet. "Now, please lift your right foot for me," she asked politely. Everett complied and elevated his right foot. She slid the stone under his heal and motioned him to rest his foot on it. Everett felt the cool stone under his heal and within seconds, his pain was gone.

As the others watch on wondering, Everett exclaimed, "Wow! The pain is gone!"

* * *

><p>The nurse said, "It is a grounding stone–it brings one's sprit back to ground after uncontrolled energy events. You will need to allow a few minutes for the pain to be completely gone." She looked at the faces of everyone there. "Don't worry Everett, you are surrounded by those that love you–your energy levels will return quickly." The nurse waived her hand across the holoscreen above his bed head, which gave a soft beep for confirmation of his updated record, before she left.<p>

Cameron asked, "How does the stone feel?" pointing to the device.

"Cold–but not in an icy way, it's rather soothing though my whole body–very strange really." Everett now chuckled and smiled.

Daniel had to ask something, "You know, I don't get it... Why didn't these people ascend? I mean, they have the means–why not?"

"Maybe I can answer that Dr Jackson." Valhalla said as she entered the small cubical area. "Hello Everett, are you feeling better?" She leant over and kissed him motherly on the cheek, then turned to Te'arly and gave her the same with a hug. "It's wonderful to see the two of you again." She turned to Daniel, "Now–you wanted to know why we chose not to ascend my love?"

Valhalla spoke to everyone the same way. In her mind, Humans were still her children, even as adults. She was exceedingly intelligent, beautiful, and unconditionally loving to all sentient beings–respect was never asked, but everyone around her gave it without question. It was an honour to be in her presence–even the Valeyians treated this woman with reverence.

Back on Destiny, the crew functioned smoothly without their General. Any serious decision making was discussed between Dr Rush, Eli, Amanda, and Camille with input from Matt and Ronald. It had now been a week since Everett and Te'arly had been on Valeya. Years of mistrust and fighting between the Yulonia and Ma'gers were quickly coming to a close, with the sharing of some new technology. They had learned quickly that each planet had more than enough naquadah and naquadria reserves, for centuries to come.

The Armstrong would remain in a neutral zone between the two planets for several weeks, with Col Telford overseeing the implementation of the new treaties. Like many Earth conflicts, he was well aware of the bad blood between them–and the timeframe change would take. Another ship would soon arrive to assist, allowing the Armstrong to continue with its mission. On Telford's orders, Destiny soon resumed her original course.

Dr Rush had a word for Franklin, as he said with a smile, "Next time, wake someone up before you decide to change course!" Franklin just laughed and nodded...

Ginn rolled over onto Eli. He felt the bulge of their baby push into his back–the next thing they remembered was falling out of bed as Destiny lurched sideways, creaking a groaning. Warnings and alarms rang out through the ship, and after checking Ginn was ok, Eli made haste for the bridge. Nick, Chloe, and Amanda were already there trying to sort out what had happened. As they looked out the bridge windows, they saw nothing but what looked like snow.

Eli entered the bridge and stopped dead, saying, "What the fuck _is_ that?" more of a statement than a question.

Nick was busy on the CI console and said, "That's what we're trying to find out lad," he paused for a moment to look out the window, "I have no idea–nothing has registered on the sensors" he said with some confusion.

Eli called out. "Destiny, what did we hit, what's out there?"

No answer.

Eli asked again, "Destiny, its Eli–we just crashed into something, please acknowledge?"

Still, Destiny didn't answer.

Nick asked, "Amanda, Chloe?" as Matt and Ronald entered the bridge.

Amanda shook her head, "Nothing, it's like she's not there. I can't feel her anymore!" she said extremely worried.

Chloe's answer was the same, "I can't either, she's gone..." shaking her head as she spoke.

Eli started taping on the CI screen, still nothing. "It's like the ship is dead, but life support systems are within normal range. What the f...?" he said unconsciously as they watched Dr Rush's coffee cup suddenly levitate, rising to head height before falling and smashing on the bridge floor.

There was silence on the bridge for a moment, before Matt broke the tension with an order. "Ok, we do it by the numbers. Rush, what have you got?" he barked.

Nick answered, "The sensors are off line, we've dropped from FTL without warning, but the ship still seems to be functioning."

Matt moved around the room. "Chloe, what's our fight status?" he asked next.

Chloe check her CI which didn't seem to respond as normal. "Um, we appear to be at a stop. I have no control over the engines, sublight or FTL."

Amanda was next, "Navigation is screwed, and I can't make heads or tails of it. I don't even know if we're in the same galaxy..."

Matt looked to Eli just as his radio interrupted, "Captain, T.J on the observation deck–you all need to see this, now!" he could sense the fear in her voice.

On the bridge everyone looked at each other.

Amanda said, "Go, I'll stay here and keep working on Destiny..."

They hurried out of the bridge to the observation deck. Running into the room, they were astounded at what lay outside the windows.

Rush spoke slowly, "How did this happen?" with both great astonishment and confusion in his voice.

Chloe squeezed Matt's hand in fear, but was too afraid to speak.

Matt said the words for her. "This can't be real. Rush, what the fuck is going on here?"

Nick just shook his head in awe of the sight saying, "I don't know how or why, but that appears to be the summit of Mount Everest over there. We seem to have crashed on Earth, high up in the Himalayas. How is this possible?" Nick was as confused as the rest of them–nothing made any sense.

* * *

><p>Matt stared at Rush saying, "If <em>we are<em> on Earth, we should be able to get out a signal and call someone."

Nick nodded. "I agree, but this could be an illusion or collective dream. We need to stay inside the ship in case we're still in space, and we also don't know what time this is. My own instincts tell me this can't be real, I don't trust it." Nick was still trying to make sense of anything around him.

Amanda called on the com. "Hey guys, I've managed to get some sensors working, both inside and outside the ship. You're not going to like it but..."

Nick got short with her, "Just tell us what you've found!"

Amanda knew he was stressed and let it go. "We're picking up an unusual energy signature all around the ship–I've never seen anything like this before," Amanda went quiet for a moment.

Matt asked more politely, "Is that it Amanda?"

Amanda had even stranger news to deliver. "No... We are the only living beings aboard. Just me and the six of you, I can't get readings for anyone else..."she sounded terrified.

Eli turned on the spot, "Ginn!" he took off, with Matt catching him.

"Hold it Eli–I'm not having anyone run around the ship alone, Greer will go with you. Sergeant, keep in constant contact, every thirty seconds to a minute." They left the observation deck, heading for Eli and Ginn's quarters...

Ginn rolled over in bed and put her hand on Eli's chest. "I love you baby," she said. Eli didn't move or respond, so Ginn gave him a gentle shake. "Honey, I said I love you," she shook him more forcefully this time. Still Eli didn't respond, as Ginn began to shout. "Eli! Eli! Wake up!" panic started to set in.

Lady Destiny appeared as a hologram to her saying, "Ginn, he is unconscious–and not the only one. I believe we have encountered an entity of some kind, more like collided," Destiny's hologram flickered, "I have lost control of all navigation and sensors, also my engines are off line. I need your help Ginn. I promise you, Eli is safe, but I can't connect to his neuro link at this time."

Ginn took her eyes off Eli to look at Destiny's hologram, "Who else?" she asked.

Destiny told her: "Matt, Ronald, Chloe, Amanda, Tamara, Nick and of course, Eli. They all appear to be in a state of hyper-consciousness, like a collective dream. I can no longer feel them, and I believe they would be the same. It is my assumption that whatever the entity is, it's controlling part of my neuro connection processes, and some other systems..."

Ginn put her hand on Eli's unconscious body, and gave him a small kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back soon baby, I love you," she struggled to hold back the tears. "Ok Destiny, what do you need me to do?" Ginn's facial expression became completely focused on finding answers.

As a hologram of Lady Destiny the ship became very human indeed, showing all the normal emotions any person would. The crew would forget they were talking to a computer, and treated Destiny's self hologram with the same respect and kindness everyone deserved.

She spoke softly to Ginn. "Please meet with Dr Franklin and Dr Brody on the bridge, they are waiting for you," and with that the hologram vanished, and Ginn took off.

As Ginn entered the bridge, she nearly cut her foot on a shard of broken crockery from Dr Rush's coffee cup. Franklin and Brody were trying to access Destiny's systems, with Franklin under the forward CI controls examining the crystals and circuits.

"Adam," called Franklin, "We need at least six new crystals, four are fried, two more I'm not sure about..." his muffled voice floated out from within the CI's hidden workings.

Ginn answered before Adam, "Do you want me to get them?" she asked.

Franklin backed his head out from under the console. "Ginn?" he asked, "How's Eli–we know he's trapped too..."

Ginn tried desperately hard to hold back her feelings. "Yes, he is. Destiny asked me to help–do you want me to get the spare crystals?" she stayed focused on fixing whatever was wrong, but they could feel her concern.

Adam put his hand on Ginn's shoulder saying empathetically, "We'll get him back Ginn, we'll get this mess sorted out," he watched as she nodded silently before continuing, "You stay and help Franklin–we need you here Ginn..."

Brody left the bridge as Sergeant Wallace arrived, saying, "Damn, this is some weird shit right now. Dr Brody, my man outside will give you an escort. We have put the ship in lockdown for now, with the other affected crew resting in the infirmary." He turned to Ginn, "They have gone to get Eli too, Ginn. We want anyone affected together in the one place. I'm sorry Ginn..."

Ginn forced a smile, "No Sergeant, it's ok, I understand. Thank you for telling me..."

Dr Franklin now sat in Kirks chair checking over more systems on the CI screen. "This is what we know Ginn. I don't believe we actually collided, more like being plucked out of FTL in a catches mitt. Adam was with me in the observation deck just after shift change when this happened, but we both came too some ten minutes after the event. From what we could see, the whole ship is trapped in some kind of amber coloured solution, like thick honey. There doesn't appear to be any major damage, just some fused out crystals–Destiny seems to be intact, but some of her thought processes are compromised," he continued searching Destiny's system circuits on the CI.

Ginn was on the CI to the left of Franklin, and replied, "So you believe this thing is an entity of some kind, and has taken control of the ship?"

Franklin stopped and looked up at the amber glow outside the bridge window, then turned to Ginn correcting her. "Not the ship, just parts of Destiny's collective consciousness–the neuro connectivity she uses to communicate with humans. I think..." he paused contemplating his next words, "I believe it just wants to find out more about us, you know, who and what we are..."

Ginn thought for a moment looking at Franklin and back to Sgt Wallace, then spoke her mind. "If it has the power to stop us in FTL, then it could just have easily destroyed us too..."

Wallace nodded agreeing with Ginn, before saying, "If so, can we communicate with it?"

Dr Brody returned with his escort and the spare crystals, asking, "What did I miss?"

Franklin ignored him, instead staring at Ginn, "Are you think what I'm thinking?"

Ginn's sprits picked up as she answered, "Interface chair! We get inside Destiny and communicate!"

* * *

><p>Chloe put her arms around Matt as they sat in the observation deck, deciding the best way to proceed. "I'm getting cold..." she said.<p>

Nick took timeout to sense the temperature. "Chloe is right, the ship is cooling down..." he took a deep breath, "But the air is still fresh...does anyone else feel somewhat lighter?" Nick suddenly jumped up and nearly hit the roof of the observation deck. "I guess artificial gravity is reducing too."

Eli's eyes widened, "So we're still in space! If we were on Earth, gravity would be normal. Destiny's normal artificial gravity is set to near Earth at 9.80m/s²," he was now excited.

Nick calmed him down, "Eli, don't get to excited yet, we still don't know why or where we are. Ok, at least this gives the impression what we see out there isn't real, but we are no closer to whatever _is out there_..."

Matt spun on the spot, nearly knocking over Ronald in his haste, "What the fuck?" he said. "You and Eli just went out the door looking for Ginn..." Matt stared at both Sgt Greer and Eli who looked back dumbfounded.

Ron asked confused, "What are you talking about? We've been here all along."

Tamara joined in. "No, I heard Eli call out Ginn, and Captain Scott stopped him from running out. It was just after Amanda told us we're the only ones onboard."

Nick decided to ask Amanda after more blank stares from Eli and Greer. He touched the com panel, "Amanda, how's it going up there, any progress?"

No answer. Now Matt and Chloe looked at Dr Rush confused, "Dr Rush," said Matt, "Amanda isn't here...it's just us..."

On a bed in the infirmary Amanda sat bolt upright suddenly, causing Camille to nearly have a heart attack from fright. Several medics ran over to her, but she appeared to be in a trancelike state, completely unresponsive...

A bright flash obscured the bridge as Amanda shielded her eyes out of reflex. When she opened them, Amanda was sitting in and connected to Destiny's interface chair.

An unfamiliar voice said to her, "Hello Dr Amanda Perry, can you tell me more about your species, and the one you refer to as Destiny?"

Amanda found herself suddenly looking at Nick, but the voice was all wrong. He sounded like a three way harmony, similar to a Go'uld. She looked around and realised she was sitting back in her wheel chair–Amanda started to choke and gasp. Next thing she knew, she was sitting on the observation deck with Nick and his raspy strange voice.

Fake Nick said, "I'm sorry that memory was uncomfortable for you, I believe this is more suitable."

Amanda nodded then asked, "Who are you, I know you're not Dr Rush?"

He answered, "We do not have a language, and therefore I do not have a depiction of my species. Can you tell me more about where you are from?"

Although Amanda was scared, she sensed the entity didn't want to harm them and realised it mainly wanted to learn more, so she answered honestly. "We come from a planet called Earth, in a Galaxy called the Milky Way." A map of the universe appeared like a hologram before her, as the entity quickly located the Milky Way and Earth, showing a picture taken from space.

"Is this the planet you refer too?" he asked.

Amanda was quiet astonished at the speed with which it found her world and asked, "Have you been there before?"

Fake Nick smiled. "Yes, in the beginning when your solar system was created. We knew it would form into a life bearing planet, so I have...visited...I think you say, many times since. We observe all that happens in this universe, and others."

Mandy was now shocked. She had just been given conformation of one of mankind's most provocative questions–the existence of multiple universes. "The other universes, are they the same as this one?" Amanda wanted to learn just as much too.

He laughed, "I see the scientist in you Amanda. I will only tell you this much–your people are assuming the correct theories, and will eventually find them. They are not a replication of each other, so the rest you will learn." He paused for a moment before asking, "I want to know about love. Your species has an unusual connection with each other, please explain it to me."

The hologram quickly changed to a personal scene of Amanda making love with Nick, taken from Nick's point of view. As fast as the entity brought up the image, it was removed after sensing Amanda's immediate discomfort. She tried to compose herself without saying why, but fake Nick wanted to know.

"Why does this make you feel anger? Is it not love?" he asked.

Amanda shook her head, "It's not that, this looks like Nick's personal memory and _that_ is private. I understand that you wish to learn about us, but this is confronting and personal to me _and him_. Love is more than just an act of intimacy– it's about being there for someone regardless of their situation."

The entity still had a blank look on Nick's face. "But your world has had much turmoil and war. I find it hard to understand how you can show such intimacy and nurturing to each other, yet still you cause violence and suffering. How can this be when you have an understanding of compassion?" Although childlike in his question, the entity clearly understood it would take some explaining from Amanda.

She sighed deeply in this virtual world she found herself in, and attempted to answer as best she could. "Well, yes you are right. We have a past of violence and war, but also of great blessings and advancement. The one gift of humanity is our free will to choose, but some take advantage of this to suppress others for their own purpose…" as Amanda said the words, they both heard a voice call out to them.

* * *

><p>"Eli, Amanda, Nick!" called Ginn, as she walked aimlessly around Destiny. She suddenly found herself face to face with Nick and Amanda, in the lounge of the observation deck. "Hey, are you ok?" she embraced Amanda, then Nick. "I'm in the interface chair, and I know what has happened…"<p>

Mandy put up her hands to stop Ginn, "Ginn, the entity is here…" she said calmly, and pointed to Nick.

He looked at her curiously before saying, "Hello Ginn, your mating partner Eli Wallace is fine. He and the others are safe. Amanda Perry is teaching me about your species. Tell me why you showed affection by embracing this image of "Nick", when you clearly want to be with Eli?" he asked.

Ginn was caught off guard and quickly looked at Amanda with a questioning glance, "What?"

Amanda nodded, "Just tell him why, and how we greet those we care about..." she said.

Ginn looked back at a smiling "Nick". "Um, well I am good friends with both Dr Rush and Amanda, and I care about them as if they were my own family. What I share with Eli is different to how I feel about them, and others." She realised the entity was just wanting to learn about emotions.

Fake Nick seemed to understand, but still wanted more. "So this emotion called love, does it have differences for your species that spread to other worlds? You are not from Earth, yet you are having offspring with Eli who is," he said.

Ginn smiled at the comment '_offspring with Eli'_, having never thought of their different worlds. "Apart from some very minor things, our genetic makeup is the same. I am as human as Eli or Amanda, and so I have the same emotional responses that _they_ have."

He turned his attention back to Amanda. "Amanda, would you embrace me the way you do for Nicholas, and show me the same sensations? Before Ginn realised I wasn't Nicholas, I could sense her relief and warmth knowing he was well."

Amanda became uncomfortable again. "I understand you want to learn and feel, but you are not my Nick. You may be an image of him, but you _are not him!_ It would be a betrayal of my trust with him to do that, I hope you understand" she said somewhat worried about his response.

Fake Nick looked her over and asked the same thing. "I can sense your hesitation Amanda, but this would greatly increase my understanding of your species. We do not feel "love" between our species, nor do we mate. Our reproductive cycle is billions of your Earth in between, as we are what your data banks refer to as simultaneous hermaphrodites, capable of self reproduction. Our offspring is limited to one, at the end of our life cycle, which for me is near."

Ginn put her hand affectionately on his shoulder, and said with genuine compassion, "I am sorry to hear that. Our lives are but an instant of time compared to yours, you must have collected an immense amount of knowledge about this universe in that time..." Part of her wanted to know more of the entity's journeys.

Amanda took a deep sigh and smiled at him. "Ok, but just this once, as long as you promise _my Nick_ won't know it happened..." She stepped forward and lovingly embraced him, opening her heart to this ancient creature of the universe. Her lips met his, and she kissed him passionately without fear, and allowed him to feel her love. Amanda broke away and hugged him, and with a whisper she said, "Better to have loved and lost, than never at all. That is something we say on our home world."

Fake Nick held her hand as she stepped back. "Now I understand... Thank you for the lesson, Amanda. This experience will be passed on to the next generation, who will keep watch over your world. Your simple gesture of embrace has shown me why your race is worth saving, but now I must go."

Amanda quickly looked up and asked, "Please, is there any way you could share some of your knowledge with us?"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "I already have..." Amanda felt a sensation from Destiny as she began to awaken. "One more thing Amanda, please tell Tamara her baby is safe and will one day return to her. She will understand...Goodbye."

Ginn's eyes fluttered open as Franklin disconnected her from the interface chair. "Ginn, the ship is back online, you alright...What happened in there?" Before she could answer there was a blur of FTL as Destiny resumed her course.

Ginn collected her thoughts and looked at Franklin with a smile. "Yeah, it's ok where going to be fine..."

Eli and the others woke up with what felt like a bad hangover in the infirmary.

Greer made the first comment. "Oh God, did anyone get the licence plate of that truck?" as he held his throbbing head.

Eli looked back at him saying, "Hey, not so loud! My head is throbbing too..."

A voice came over the com. "Attention everyone, Dr Brody here, we have resumed course as normal and all systems are online...hope you guys down there had a nice nap..."

Sgt Greer just grunted at him. "Wait till I see him... I'll give him a nice nap!" Eli tried to laugh, but it hurt.

Ginn came through the door several minutes later and walked straight up to Eli, and planted a kiss on him. "I love you baby, but don't ever scare me like that again!" he hugged her back. She looked over to Amanda who was now sitting up. Mandy gave her a look of "don't say anything" as she put her arms around the real Nick she loved.

Amanda locked eyes with T.J for a moment, enough to get her attention. Without a word T.J instinctively knew something was up. Nick excused himself to head for the bridge, and T.J came over. "Can I see you in private sometime please Tamara, it isn't urgent..."

T.J could sense something and said, "No, now is fine. Come to my quarters."

They met at Tamara's quarters a short time later. "What is it Amanda, I can feel something..." asked T.J.

Amanda tried to put the words together without causing T.J too much anguish. "The entity that took control of the ship–it had a message for you. It said 'Tell Tamara her baby is safe, and will return to her someday,' he said you would understand what that means."

Tamara's tears welled up in her eyes as she suddenly slipped down onto a chair, putting her hands each side of her face, "Carmen is alive? Where, how, who..." she became frantic.

Amanda grabbed onto her, "T.J! I don't know–I don't know...I only know what he told us, it is an entity of unimaginable age and wisdom. We don't even know what it really was, only why it stopped us dead in FTL fight. I don't have any more information for you...I'm sorry." Amanda took T.J into her arms and comforted her.

T.J gathered herself and calmed down. "Amanda, it must have been something to do with where you were. The aliens sent Cain and the others back only to die hours later–I spoke to him before he did, and there was no baby...so it can't be true. You must have heard wrong. I think Destiny was trying to help me get through it with less pain, and put the memories in my head."

Amanda thought better of arguing such a difficult suggestion with T.J, and played it down. "You're probably right Tamara, we were inside Destiny's memories I believe..." she let it go and apologised. "I'm sorry T.J, truly sorry..."

T.J sat back down and looked at Amanda. After a moment she said, "What if you're right?"

Amanda weighed up the best answer. She could feel Destiny telling her that what was said was correct, and one day they may know for sure. But for now she simply said, "Then only time will tell..."

* * *

><p>In another part of the universe, a man in chains lay back on his hard bed and sighed saying to himself, <em>this was a really dumb idea Castell, what were you thinking? <em>Castell had never looked his age of twelve hundred years, but he sure felt like it now. He looked to the man in the adjoining cell, who also had started to become a shadow of his former self.

Prior Genesis walked to the cell door and turned to his guards, "Leave us!"

He opened the door with his mind and stepped in, standing in front of a laying Castell. "So Uncle Castell, do you require anything?"

He forced a smile saying, "Warm bed would be nice, and you to die..."

Genesis gave a fake chuckle. "You always were the joker Uncle, but if I were to give you something, what would you give me?"

Castell was a sucker for punishment. "A headache..." it was a bad choice of words.

In the next instant he felt as though his body was put in a compacter, as the weight of the Ori power again beared down on him. Instead of fighting it he gave in, and found the Ori quickly released him again. In their slight confusion not expecting him to give in so quickly, they missed his real intention. The door of the next cell unlocked, but remained shut with the man in the cell remaining silent.

Genesis smiled with evil intent saying, "I'll come back when you have given up some more, Uncle Castell!" and laughed as he slammed the door shut, and left with his guards.

Once again Castell found himself alone with his thoughts...his wife and daughter. He had to make it through this for them too. Looking again at the man sitting silently on the bench in the next cell, he gestured with his eyes to the now unlocked door.

The man asked, "What did you just give me?"

Finally Castell decided to speak to him. "Some power to fight and an open door to assist."

The man sat there and asked, "What makes you think I would help your sorry ass?

Castell smiled. "Because neither of us can escape by ourselves, but together we stand a chance. Besides, you're good at stealing ships for your own purpose..."

The man stood and walked to Castell's side of the divided cell, saying with a tough raspy voice, "And what would you know about me and that?"

Castell sat up on the bed and answered him with a shock. "How far did you think you would get after you jumped through the gate...obviously not far enough to reach your modified ship and escape the Ori? Oh, by the way, Te'arly's doing well too after you tried to kill her. I'm afraid love is far stronger than hate, General Decca Traise..."


	27. Chapter 27

Hello to everyone. Thanks for your messages and support, as I know this chapter has been a long time coming. My new job requires a great deal more from me, and often leaves me too tired to write. I apologise for taking so long to add another chapter. On another note, I want to convey my respects to the family, and friends of the extraordinary humble Neil Armstrong. You are one of the three pioneers for humanity, in the world's greatest space exploration achievement. While most of us can only dream, you, Buzz, and Michael proved mankind can achieve what we can imagine... I wonder what the next few centuries will bring.

SGU s04 e07

Hadri'an

In Castell's spare suite on Valeya, Te'arly awoke suddenly next to Everett. She could feel the dampness around her as her mind raced with thoughts.

"Honey, wake up!" she said calmly.

Everett stirred and rubbed his eyes saying sleepily, "You okay sweetheart?"

Te'arly shook her head, "Um, not really... the bed is wet" she replied, a little frightened.

Everett snapped himself awake, "Oh! Your water broke?!" he said more out of shock than as a question.

Te'arly gave a scared chuckle before a tear rolled down her face. "We're having a baby my love... right now it seems!" Te'arly placed her hand on Everett's, shifting it to her firm belly.

Now sitting up, Everett placed his other arm around her as she snuggled into his shoulder. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked gently.

She smiled at him, "No Honey, Valhalla is coming. She will know what to do... just be here with me."

Everett squeezed her shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere..." he smiled back.

Valhalla gracefully entered their room after a quick knock on the door. "Te'arly, Everett...it's time."

* * *

><p>Dr Rush was dozing in Kirk's chair on Destiny's bridge. It was around 0400 local time when he was stirred by Destiny's hologram.<p>

"Nick, wake up," she said kindly.

He stirred, stretching out his arms and yawned. "Destiny, what's up?"

"Dr Rush, I am receiving a subspace message from a remote galaxy. I believe it is the Ursini's ship Galassie...shall I open the channel?"

Rush gave a waking cough. "Um yes, thanks Destiny." He wasted no time. "This is Dr Rush, how may we be of assistance?"

A familiar voice returned a greeting. "Dr Rush, this is High Commander Ra'toli aboard Porta Galassie. We believe that the Ori ship you seek may be near our position, hiding in the next galaxy. I have been unable to raise Col. Telford in the Armstrong, and you were the nearest vessel. We have been under attack from several Ori vessels, and have managed to destroy or severely damage most of them. I need you to contact all amalgamated vessels and warn that the Ori have found a way to momentarily disrupt our shielding technology, causing some minor damage."

Nick thought about this for a moment before replying. "Commander, I will contact them immediately. Please keep the connection open." Nick looked at Lady Destiny in front of him. "I don't trust this...there is no way the Ori could penetrate Valeyian shielding, they would have had to get inside the ship to disable it. Something is very, _very_ _wrong here_" He pondered his next move.

Hologram Lady Destiny spoke. "Dr Rush, the odds of the Ori penetrating our new shields is minuscule and highly unlikely. I believe it is a trap. Perhaps some false information should be returned."

Nick considered the possibility and agreed, but he had no reason not to trust Commander Ra'toli. He knew something seemed off and decided the best action was more information. "Commander, we are experiencing some fluctuations in your transmission. I will rectify the problem on this end and contact you shortly." Nick cut the connection without response. Getting on the com, he called Capt. Scott, Amanda, and Eli to the bridge. While he was waiting, he made a connection to Apollo using a Valeyian secure time transmitter. "Apollo, this is Destiny...please respond."

It didn't take long. "Dr Rush this is Col. Mitchell receiving you loud and clear...How's life on Destiny?"

Dr Rush was sharp and to the point, but kind. "We're all fine, but I have received a subspace transmission from Ra'toli aboard Galassie. He says they have encountered several Ori vessels and fought them, but then made a comment that they have found a way to momentarily disrupt the shields enough to cause damage. Something doesn't gel right with me... if the Ori could break the shields, they would be a sitting duck!" Nick was very concerned as his mind raced through many scenarios.

Cameron's reaction was immediate. "I agree. They would have been destroyed without shields, something is up. Did he give a location?"

Nick scrolled through masses of data on the CI screen. "I can't pinpoint the exact galaxy, but it would take us years to get even close to the origin point. The other thing he said was they couldn't raise Telford on the Armstrong... doesn't sound right to me."

Cameron put his chin in his hand and leaned on his captains' chair, looking out the bridge window. "Rush," he paused, "I don't like it. It sounds screwy to me too. The Ursini have the same communication devices as us, so why not use them?"

Nick looked around as Capt. Scott entered the bridge, followed by Amanda and Eli, still yawning. "Col. Mitchell is on the secure com, we have a problem with Galassie..." was his short description to the new arrivals.

Cameron asked, "Rush, you there?"

Nick nodded as he answered. "Sorry about that Colonel, yes...I agree. Why not use this secure time transmitter, or even a stone... every ship has a set. Stay on the line and I'll try to make a connection via subspace again." Nick looked at Eli who was trying to raise the Ursini's ship.

Eli looked up from the CI saying, "The phones ringing, but no one is answering...wait, I think I got something!" Eli tweaked the subspace controls and only found static and a slight knocking sound. "It answered...but it's like nothing is there, or no one."

Rush called out, "Are you getting this Colonel?"

Cameron responded. "Yeah... what the hell is that?"

Nick looked at Amanda and Matt, who both shook their heads indicating their lack of knowledge of what was going on. A slight tapping noise could be heard in the background.

Nick said to Eli, "Try lock on the end point signal for coordinates, and isolate that sound."

Eli replied, "On it already, transmitting coordinates now, Col. Mitchell."

Cameron got the confirmation from his communications officer. "Thanks Eli, they're about five hours from us. Get in touch with Col. Telford and bring him up to speed... we'll go look for them, Mitchell out!"

Nick filled in the blanks for them as Eli contacted the Armstrong. Col. Telford told them they'd had no contact with Galassie for the past three days, but due to their mission, believed they were maintaining radio silence in a hostile galaxy. He had not received any attempted transmissions of subspace or secure time communications.

Eli thanked him disconnected the call. Changing the subject he said, "I wonder how General Young and Te'arly are doing?"

* * *

><p>A muffled groan could be heard through the octagonal lattice walls of the room Te'arly was resting in. This was exciting news on Valeya, as a child had not been born for some time now. They had a custom on their planet, "<em>Any child born on Valeya is a Valeyian regardless of the parental origin, and forth being a citizen of our teachings and technology."<em> This meant that not only would Te'arly's son be the first boy of her race to survive into manhood for many years, but also made him a member of the most powerful race ever encountered by other human beings in the universe.

Everett held her hand tightly as another contraction coursed through her body. "Just breathe Honey, breathe..." he said softly as Te'arly settled from the pain.

The midwife nurse placed a grounding stone under each of Te'arly's feet. "This should help reduce the pain of contractions, without losing your sensations to push" she said.

Te'arly looked at her, as a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. "Please...no. I want to feel this no matter how much it hurts, it is our custom" she gasped slowly between short breaths.

The nurse looked at Everett who gave confirmation with his eyes. Smiling, she removed the stones and left them.

Everett held her hand tight as Te'arly squeezed with enough force to nearly break it. As the contraction subsided, he said to her, "You are one tough woman Sweetheart... I would have taken the stones!"

Te'arly tried to smile and answer, but it came out harshly. "I would expect that from a man!"

Everett tried not to laugh. He knew she had not meant it in that sense, and her immediate apology was enough to prove him right...

Valhalla entered the room and immediately placed her hand on Te'arly's round tummy. Closing her eyes, she opened them nearly as fast. "Te'arly, your baby is breach...you need to tell him to turn around..." she drew an anti clockwise circle with her finger over Te'arly's belly, "this way, so he doesn't tangle in the cord."

Everett looked on in stunned silence. Never in his life had he heard of a woman "asking" her baby to turn around, and said "Valhalla, not that I would question your wisdom, but are you sure that _asking him_ will actually work?

She smiled and placed her outstretched hand on his cheek, tenderly caressing it. With a gentle smile she replied softly, "Ev darling, your world has much to learn about the bond between mother and child, born or unborn. She will speak, he will listen, _and understand" _she looked over to Te'arly with a cheeky grin, "_They_ have much to understand, don't they..."

Te'arly smiled back, "Yes, he does..."

Back on Destiny, life was continuing on as normal as life on a ship could be. Military guys were going through training simulations and exercise regimes, people were preparing food or eating, scientist were trolling through streams of data. With the stargate now allowed to open to Earth regularly every two weeks, most of the ship's crew was rotated in four month cycles. During this time, leave was allowed for a two week period to anyone that desired it. The strange truth was, most of the original crew never took it, aside from Eli and Ginn who would use it to visit Eli's mother on Earth. From the advances of disclosure, Maryann's condition had been healed and she was now enjoying normal life once again.

Ronald and Lisa had come to an understanding and reformed a close friendship, which was far more open than previously. They were on leave together, back on Earth for a week of R & R. With disclosure of Earth's new position within the galactic community, crews of star-ships were now being treated as celebrities. Friends and families of those serving "off world" were now able to keep in touch via Face book and Twitter, through regular subspace communications. It didn't take long for word to get out that two of the original crew were back from serving on Destiny. The ship in her own right had become the rock star pinnacle of space exploration and discovery of the unknown. Within hours of their return, offers of interviews and TV appearances were flooding into the military PR department. General Landry had contacted them both and given permission to accept only one exclusive offer with a reporter from CBS 60 Minutes show, and a "no disclosure to sensitive events" warning.

Ronald and Lisa were given the presidential suite at a major hotel for a couple of days to complete the interview. Greer was asked about his actions on Terestay, but used the "I cannot comment on that action" line. The reporter then focused more on their original arrival and survival needs aboard Destiny, asking how they felt about being "trapped" at the time.

Ron spoke candidly and gave some account from his personal point of view. "At first, it was like any other mission to somewhere unknown. But slowly we realised it had been a one way trip, with no way of returning to Earth. Any glimmer of hope was given full attention, but soon people started to realise things were getting worse. Our primary concern was all out survival... Air filter units were failing, water and rations in short supply...it got pretty "touch and go" for a while."

The questions got tricky trying to dig for more exclusive content, with Ron leaping to Lisa's defence by putting up his hands in a gesture, protecting her from a rather personal question about her initial "coping mechanism".

He said in his stern Master Sergeants tone, "Hey, you have no right to ask that! Do it again, and this is over!"

The reporter thought the better of it and sincerely apologised to both of them. Finally it was over leaving Ron and Lisa with some time to rest and enjoy their luxurious surroundings.

Lisa put her arms around the back of Ron's neck, moved her mouth to his and kissed him softly on the lips. "Thank you for defending me...and I'm sorry you had to hear him ask that."

Ron held her around the waist saying, "I'd do anything to protect you..." Before he could finish, Lisa's mouth returned to his beginning a passionate embrace.

Ron lifted her up as he felt himself pressing against her, and carried her to the nearest wall. Within moments their clothes were pulled out of the way, as they began to make love to each other... (Sorry, you will have to use your imagination for the rest!).

An hour or so later with Lisa lying on Ron's bare chest in bed, she snuggled into him saying softly, "You asked me something once... How do you feel now?"

Ron ran his fingers through her dark hair. "I haven't changed how I feel about you...never will" he replied gently.

Lisa turned around and looked deep into his eyes. "I am so sorry I hurt you... I didn't really know what I wanted. You were so...honest and open to me. I guess I just got scared."

Ron's hand found hers as they interlocked their fingers together. "That's in the past Lisa. I love you for who you are...faults and all..." Ron gave a slightly cheeky grin as he said it.

Lisa moved up really close to him and rested her nose against his. "So if there was something you were going to ask me, maybe now is the right time." She wanted the question from him. Not that Lisa was afraid to ask, she wanted to know _he wanted it too_.

Ronald thought hard for a moment and then... "Okay...Lisa will you...do me the honour...and..." he paused building the anticipation, "...suck my cock?"

Lisa breathed out a disappointed sigh, and went to slap him out of reflex. "That's not funny Ron!"

Ron quickly stopped her. "I haven't finished yet" he said tenderly, reaching back under the pillow with his free hand.

He flipped open the small red box...

"As my wife..."

Lisa's heart began to flutter as she looked at the man holding the "not so small" engagement ring. Now she was sure...he was the man for her. Ron took out the ring and placed it on her finger, watching a tear roll out the corner of her eye, as she cried...

"Yes...yes, yes!"

Sitting over the top of him she now huddled down, as they kissed passionately again. There was no need to say how they felt for each other...their next actions spoke volumes...

* * *

><p>Cameron Mitchell stood on the bridge of Apollo 2011 and looked at the Ursini's ship adrift in space, close to an asteroid field. "What have we got so far, 2d Lt Jade Cope?" and smiled at her as he asked.<p>

His communications chief replied, "There is no response to hails, life support is functioning, but the life signs... they're minimal at best, _and faint..._"

Cameron shook his head. "There are five thousand and five crew aboard that ship...what in the hells gone wrong?" He threw the question open to his crew.

"Sir, they seem to be in stasis. The crew is mainly Ursini with only two Asgard for assistance...I am picking up several human life forms that also appear to be in stasis" she relayed to Cameron.

Cameron picked up the bridge phone hand piece and pushed a button. "Major Dillon, have your ops on standby to do a sweep of Galassie, over." he hung the phone up after a quick "Yes Colonel". Cameron stood looking at the ship and rubbed his hand on the back of his head. "Lieutenant, get remote control of her and bring Galassie about...put her back on all four wheels..." he said as he turned and sat back in his chair.

"Yes Colonel..." she replied instantly, typing away at the touch screen in front of her for a few moments. "I have the ship under control Colonel...bringing Galassie about" she watched the ship right its self and gently move perpendicular to their own position, before bringing her to a full stop..."All yours, Colonel Mitchell."

Cameron turned to face her and gave a quick wink. "Thanks Lieutenant..." he said as she smiled to herself.

Major Dillon from spec ops entered the bridge and walked quickly over to Cameron saying, "What's the situation Colonel?"

Cameron shook his head before answering. "They're all in stasis John...I'm open to suggestions..." He waited for him to speak.

Dillon thought for a moment before asking, "Are there any pathogens in the atmosphere that could have caused this?"

Lt Cope answered. "No Major, life support checked out as normal. There are several human life forms aboard also, Sir."

He looked back at Cameron. "Permission to board Colonel?" asked Maj. Dillon

Cameron nodded. "Go take a look...but remember... We are guests on _their ship_..." he smiled at his friend.

John smiled back with a simple "Yes Colonel".

A team of six highly trained soldiers appeared from nowhere in a beam of white and blue light. They immediately activated their newest bit of kit...a personal Prior inhibitor. This new device could work individually or in a collective group with greater range than the original devices. They gave the user a clear fifty meter radius of protection from an Ori Prior, with more distance when used as a group.

Methodically the men began to clear a path toward the stasis area. The point man suddenly crouched and motioned to stop, while scanning the area ahead. Off in the distance a clanging noise could be heard.

"Sir," he said in a whisper on his radio, "That may be the noise heard in the communication recording from Destiny."

The answer back was to the point. "Are there any hostiles in the area sergeant?"

"Negative Major... Wait...we've got movement behind the next bulkhead, appears human..." he readied his weapon.

As they crouched with baited breath, one very scared little girl appeared from behind the doorway. The hardened point man lowered his weapon, knowing his men had his back, and held out his hand to her.

"Are you ok sweetie?" he asked gently, as she shuffled forward toward him.

She just nodded her head for yes.

He asked another question as gently as he could, trying not to overwhelm the young girl. "Did you see what happened to everyone?"

Again she just stood there looking scared and nodded for a moment before saying, "A prior was here and he made everyone go to sleep. I was with my daddy in the engine room and he told me to hide".

He guessed the girl to be about six years old, figuring her father was one of the human engineers that accompanied every Enterprise class ship. "Did you see what happened to daddy sweetheart?"

She nodded again as a tear seeped from her eye. "The Prior and his soldiers took him away..."

He held onto her as she began to cry. Thinking of his young daughter who was back on Earth safe with her mother, the battle hardened soldier felt a pull at his heart strings. She clung to him for dear life as he tried to pass her back. Knowing she had been traumatised, he decided to take her back to Apollo himself. Looking over at his CO, without a word he got a nod. The CO called in with a simple "two returning" message. The soldier activated his "beam lock on" unit, and in a flash of whitish blue light he was standing on Apollo hold a very scared little girl. Another point man took over and continued cautiously toward the stasis pods.

Back on Destiny a message came through secure channels.

"Destiny this is Apollo, over" Eli heard the distinct sounds of Cameron Mitchell's voice, as Destiny confirmed it was him.

"Um Colonel Mitchell, this is Eli, I'm with Captain Scott...please go ahead" he replied respectfully.

"Hey Captain, Eli, just an update status... We have found the ship and a little girl of about six years old who has told us an Ori Prior got aboard the ship and well, basically put everyone in stasis. Details are sketchy for now, but spec ops are on-board investigating..."

Matt looked over to Eli with a worried look, as Eli was about to speak. Thinking fast Eli remained silent allowing Matt to take over.

"Colonel, its Capt. Scott here. I don't mean to sound out of line, but has the girl been screened? We all know what happened at the SGC some years ago..." Matt had read the files.

Cameron gave a smile remembering the lone survivor with a potential bomb in her body. "Yes Captain. No stargates or little girls are in danger this time..." he replied slightly bemused.

Eli had something to ask after reading the file data sent from Apollo. "Colonel, the girl said a Prior and his soldiers took away her father..." he said still reading what they had.

"Yeah, that sounds pretty standard for Ori. What are you getting at Eli?" asked Cameron.

It was Eli's turn to glare back at Matt... "Colonel, where's their ship..."

A chill ran up Cameron's spine as he realised they had just sailed straight into a trap. "Oh fuck..." he said as the com disconnected to Destiny.

* * *

><p>Major John Dillon managed to beam aboard the Galassie just before Cameron ordered full shields. He joined the fire-fight that his men were now engaged in on Galassie with the Ori soldiers. They managed to distract the Prior long enough to take him down, but it made little difference to the remaining Ori soldiers, who just kept on fighting as though nothing had happened.<p>

Cameron yelled out commands, which rang out across the ship as the first blast wave from the hidden Ori ship hit Apollo's lifesaving shield technology.

"Sága, beam as many of the stasis pods aboard Apollo as you can before a Prior takes over Galassie..." commanded Cameron to the Asgard tech.

"I will not be able to get all of them Colonel Mitchell, not while we are under constant attack" was her monotone reply.

"I know...try and get Ra'toli at least, and the girl's father..." he said empathetically.

"I will do my best Colonel Mitchell" she said while concentrating on her work.

Dillon looked over at his slightly wounded man across the doorway. "Are you thinking what I am Sergeant?" he yelled over their weapons fire.

"Yeah, crack the drive Sir...it's the only way. There is just too many of them to fight off..." he replied during another mag change. "I'll take Digga and head to the genset..."

Dillon gave covering fire as his sergeant took off, grabbing his Australian SAS counterpart by the sleeve and headed toward the auxiliary generator room. A message came through Dillon's headset "Major, Apollo is beaming the pods aboard...we may not have long for retrieval, Sir!" said the voice.

"Okay understood, the Sgt and Digga are on the way to crack the drive...you have until confirmation, Dillon out!" he continued to fire at the entrenched Ori soldiers.

Cameron shook his head in disbelief. "They're going to what?!" he yelled at the Special Forces Captain standing before him.

The Captain didn't flinch. "I understand your anger Colonel Mitchell, but as you know spec ops have their own instructions. If an Enterprise class vessel is in fear of being taken over by enemy forces, the technology is to be neutralised..."

Cameron was fuming but kept a level head. "There are five thousand Ursini on-board that ship...you're just going to kill the ones that we can't get out in time?" the anger was all too apparent in his voice.

"Colonel, I'm sorry...You have as much time as our men can buy you to get them out, and with Apollo beaming the crew aboard, we cannot send reinforcements. Either we stop beaming out the crew and send more men to fight, or _you _save as many souls as you can. The ship is heavily infiltrated with Ori...even after the Prior was taken out, they're still coming. You have to make a decision _now _Colonel, if not we will have no choice but to execute the command..." he said solemnly as another blast rocked the Apollo.

Cameron put his head in his hands and scrunched the front of his hair. "Damn it..." he mumbled under his breath. Jumping out of his chair he moved swiftly back to where Sága was busy beaming stasis pods to Apollo's cargo area.

She momentarily looked him in the eyes before looking back at the Asgard beaming console. "I am progressing with haste Colonel Mitchell. You standing there will not increase my intensity" Sága continued without hesitation.

Cameron gave a half smile and nodded his hapless understanding. He knew she was doing all she could to save as many lives as possible.

As he turned to walk away, Sága, one of the newest and first female of the Asgard's new race spoke quickly. "Three thousand two hundred and fifty seven have been transported."

Over on the now ill fated Galassie, two men set C4 charges in strategic positions around the auxiliary Ur'torina generator. One of them tapped his headset saying, "Major...it's done."

Dillon responded quickly, still under heavy fire. "Acknowledged, you two get out while you can...that's an order!"

The men looked at each other, with Digga saying "Where I'm from, we don't leave mates behind...and I definitely know you Marines don't either..." They punched knuckles and headed back to join the fight. A short time later they rejoined their CO, only to find Dillon and another where the only ones left alive.

"I thought I told you two to leave!" Dillon yelled over the firing.

"You know I've always had a problem following orders Major..." Sergeant yelled back. "Where is Tommy gun and Snipes?"

Dillon looked over to him and gave a grim shake of his head, looked away and returned fire without a word. With their ammo running out fast, Dillon was down to his nickel .45 auto firing the last of his six magazines. He tapped his headset as the men realised what they had to do.

"Colonel... Ten seconds...I'm sorry Cam..."

Cameron barked the order, "Get us out of here NOW!"

Apollo vanished into the folds of space just as the detonator on the C4 received its signal. The Ur'torina drive split and went nuclear within milliseconds of the explosion, sending shock waves that tore the hidden Ori Vessel into fragments. The Ursini had lost the star of their fleet.

Safe in the folds of time and space, Sága finally spoke. "Colonel Mitchell, we transported 4876 crew in stasis pods to the cargo bay. 135, including Major Dillon and his team where still aboard at the time of detonation. I am sorry for your losses Colonel." She went back to her work.

A very sombre Cameron Mitchell held back his feelings of despair as he stared at the bluish glow out the ships bridge window. "Thank you Sága...so am I..." he sighed and got up, left the bridge and headed to the cargo bay.

In the cargo bay High Commander Ra'toli greeted him, having been freed from stasis and quickly briefed.

The two beings looked at each other with sadness in their eyes before Ra'toli said, "War is hell..." he paused reflectively for a moment then added, "It was a strategic decision Colonel, and I would have chosen the same had I been in your place. My race will not hold you responsible for any of these actions...the Ori however, as you say, that is another story."

Cameron held out his hand as Ra'toli extended his. "I am deeply sorry for the loss of your crew Commander...and ship. I feel like crap right now..." conveyed Cameron.

"And I for your men too Colonel, they are brave souls who will be remembered on my world for saving so many" replied Ra'toli with sincerity.

A young voice caught their attention. "Daddy!" she cried, as Cameron and Ra'toli turned to watch the little girl run to her father's waiting arms.

Cameron looked back to Ra'toli and said, "At least something good has come from this mess..."

* * *

><p>Te'arly sat in her own bed, mesmerised by the small face looking back that she cradled in her arms. She made little goo-goo eyes at him and gently stroked his new born skin with her finger. "What do you think Honey, what should we call him?" she asked a broadly smiling Everett lying beside her.<p>

He moved to sit up and pressed his shoulder tenderly into hers, without taking his eyes off her new born son. "I have no idea..." he said smiling. "But I think it should be you who has that honour, he is yours after all."

Te'arly looked at him and raised an eyebrow, correcting Everett. "No my love, he is _ours_... You may not have helped create his life, but you will _be part of his life_, always. Our son would not have a life if not for you, your crew, and Destiny. He is a part of me, and I am a part of you. I could think of no man more worthy than you to be his father...we are all family now my love, so help me decide on a name for _our son_" she had a way of bringing light to people's hearts, and for the first time ever, Te'arly's own heart, felt complete.

Valhalla came into their room. "Now this is far more comfortable than our medical beds..." she said walking over to see the little one. "It has been so long since I have had the joy of a baby around. Our daughter is not ready for a family yet, it is my hope that it will come soon" she said wishfully.

Te'arly smiled, "Would you like to hold him Valhalla?"

Her heart skipped a beat at the offer. "It has been so long..." she repeated.

Te'arly handed her baby gently to Valhalla saying, "Yes, too long..."

As Valhalla cradled the new bundle of joy, motherly instinct instantly opened her heart as she fell in love with him. With a deep warming sigh and joyous heart she said, "He is so beautiful..." as a tear rolled out the corner of her eye.

Te'arly sensed something about her and surprisingly asked, "Valhalla, what is...what's wrong?"

She passed the baby back with a slight sob. "Castell... I miss him so much. He has been my whole world for so long, we have seldom been apart. Holding your baby just reminded me of when my daughter was young, and how proud Castell was of us both" the ever graceful Valhalla wiped a tear away.

Amongst all the joy, Everett remembered why they were here in the first place. "We'll get him back... even if I have to tear a hole in the universe and pull him out of it... _I'll get him back!_"

Valhalla walked around to him and placed her hand on his shoulder saying, "I believe you Everett..." She stood for a moment and reflected before adding, "There is one thing you could for him...if you both choose."

Te'arly spoke without hesitation. "Yes, anything..." she left her answer open.

Valhalla smiled again. "Castell was a twin. His brother only survived for a few days...when he passed, Castell's father helped his life force ascend. I know he thinks often of his brother and what life they could have had together. Perhaps it is where his strength comes from... he does not discuss it with anyone, except me and I can still feel his sense of loss."

Te'arly could feel her pain, with her asking a simple question. "What was his name?"

Valhalla looked at the three of them remembering her own family. "His father named him Callum, but it was his second name that I liked. In our world it means "strength through compassion"" she paused for a moment, but knew this was right...

"Hadri'an"

* * *

><p>*I will try to post the next chapter somewhat quicker than this one. Again, sorry to keep you all waiting so long...*<p>

*In answer to a couple of PM's I use an Australian Dictionary in Word (because I live there), so some of the spellings are different to the US Dictionary, not incorrect, but thanks for pointing it out... Cheers.


	28. Chapter 28

Hi All, I will try to keep them coming on a regular basis, but you may not see another one until early January... Cheers for the new year!

SGU s04 e08

Repercussions

Cameron Mitchell woke up in a cold sweat. He gasped for breath as he sat up in bed trying to shake the images of his nightmare, from the depths of his psyche. The last 24 hours did not sit well with Cameron, and he was now questioning himself over his decisions. "_There must have been another way..."_ was the main thing he asked himself, thinking of the lives lost. He got up out of bed, dressed and went for a jog around the ship to clear his head. By the time he had reached the ships gate room, the last of the Galassie crew had left, returning to their home world. A familiar voice caught his attention...

"Early riser, Colonel Mitchell..." said Ra'toli smiling through his eyes.

Cameron stopped and walked across to the console he was seated at. "Yeah, couldn't sleep..." he said light heartedly back.

Ra'toli knew better. He may have been from a different race, but emotions play a part in nearly every sentient being. Looking long into Cameron's eyes Ra'toli nodded, but then added, "We are all haunted by the actions of our past Colonel... However, it is how we succumb to them in the present that determines our character."

Cameron thought about this for a moment and soon began to realise that this strange looking being from another galaxy, had more in common with the human race than was ever imaginable. He smiled an answer back...

"You're right..." pausing he took a small sigh, "We are the product of our minds, good or bad" he said more philosophically than normal.

At almost the same time, both Cameron and Ra'toli's personal communication tracker signalled an incoming message...

"Meeting on Destiny: 1100 Earth hours, SGC"

Cameron shook his head in jest saying, "I believe my character is about to be tested..."

* * *

><p>Word had spread quickly about the loss of life and an Enterprise class vessel across the new galactic alliance fleet. General Landry had already arrived on Destiny for his first visit in person, rather than through the communication stones or otherwise.<p>

Captain Matt Scott had greeted him in Destiny's gate room. "It's an honour to have you aboard Destiny, General" as he reached his hand forward after a salute.

"Trust me Captain, the honour's all mine" replied Hank, as he shook his hand.

Matt introduced him to someone in the gate room he had not officially met, at least not in person. "General, this is Eli Wallace..."

Hank moved forward and shook Eli's hand while his other hand touched Eli's elbow, saying with a smile, "Well it's about time..."

Eli felt honoured and smiled back saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you too, General" as the blur of FTL fell across the ship again.

They walked out together with Matt briefing the General on Destiny's current course and objectives. On entering the observation deck, Hank moved quickly after a short breathtaking pause, to stand by the window holding onto the rail watching the waves of FTL travel go past.

"Do you ever get tired of this view?" Hank asked in wonderment.

Eli stood beside him, remembering himself standing there after everyone else went into stasis. He answered honestly, "Not even in a lifetime..." he said in a distant stare.

Matt kept up with the business side of the General's trip. "Sir, the meeting is in three hours. Is there anything you need?" he asked politely.

Landry broke himself away from the hypnotic view of the bluish waves and answered candidly. "Yes Captain there is...I'd like to see the dome..."

Eli nodded a knowing smile as Matt directed the General to follow. "This way please, General"

Hank was relaxed and didn't feel the need to maintain strict military conduct, being so far away from the SGC and Earth...he felt a sense of calm on this ancient ship. He chatted with Eli as Matt led the way to the dome. "I hear you're soon to be a father Eli. You must be proud, Son." he said with a knowing smile.

Eli couldn't wipe the smile from his face. "Yes Sir, very proud" he replied.

Hank continued, asking genuinely, "How is Ginn doing, Eli...I take it all is well?"

"She is fine Sir, but I think she is a bit frustrated with her body size for now" he said slightly concerned.

"Eli, I remember my wife just before our daughter was born...she got really frustrated trying to put on her shoes, and ended up throwing one across the room..." Hank smiled inwardly remembering a happier time with Kim.

Matt opened the door to the dome saying, "This is it Sir..."

He walked in and marvelled at the height of the trees inside a star ship. "Oh my God...incredible" He stopped still taking in the amazing jungle that had taken over the dome.

Eli rattled off some of the features that this multi coloured vegetation gave the ship. He stopped when Hank asked a simple question.

"Eli, why is it raining?" he asked while looking up at the dome roof, feeling the mist on his face.

Eli was very pleased to fill him in some more. "General, it's basically a complete eco system in here. The water you feel is moisture from the humidity...it falls from the dome roof after condensing. Once it hits the soil it filters through collecting nutrients along the way, with some of it piped off for drinking and cooking, and the rest goes back for the plants. It is completely self sustaining. It also gives us our air supply, and soaks up the carbon dioxide." Eli kept his answers simple, knowing the complexity of the Ursini's handy work.

Hank was still in awe of a rain forest inside a ship and gave a one word answer. "Amazing..."

The three men continued to walk around for about half an hour, with Eli explaining as much as he could about the diverse plant species from other worlds. Hank listened with intent as he was told about some of the life saving benefits that had been produced, and of the different fruits and vegetables that were now a staple diet on Destiny.

Satisfied and still taking in what Eli had conveyed, General Landry asked to be taken to the Valeyian Database.

Matt looked at Eli, who returned the same look of "_Okay, not that easy..." _

Matt broke the news. "Sir, I'm sure you're aware of Destiny's security around the V-bank...only authorised persons can enter, Destiny won't unlock the door is a safety protocol and we would have to ask permission..."

Hank looked at him with a very serious face, and asked sarcastically, "Permission from who exactly, Captain?"

Eli answered to save Matt from feeling somewhat awkward. "Um Sir...that would be Destiny herself..."

Hank gave a chuckle and shook his head in disbelief. "You mean to say that you would _have to ask the ship_ if I could enter. Is this some kind of a joke you guys play?" Hank's patience was wearing thin.

He suddenly heard a recognisable female voice from behind him and turned.

"They are correct General Landry...you need my permission to enter" said the hologram of Lady Destiny. "I am sorry for the strict protocol, but after the incident with General Traise, I am the only entity authorised to grant permissions to the Valeyian Database...all you need to do is ask"

Hank was a little stunned that he was talking directly to Destiny. Even though he had read all the files and knew about it, yet he still found it confronting to be talking to the "real deal". He suddenly became very polite and less agitated saying...

"Well in that case, I beg your pardon for my harshness Lady Destiny, and request permission to visit the Valeyian Database."

She smiled at him. "Yes...permission granted, General Landry".

* * *

><p>Everett and Te'arly spent some quality time with little Hadri'an, unaware of the events that had unfolded in the past 24 hours. Finally Valhalla called Everett aside to speak.<p>

"It is such a joyous occasion Everett, but I'm afraid I have to be the bearer of bad news. The Ursini ship _Porta Galassie_ has been destroyed to protect its technology from the Ori. I am to believe over one hundred crew were still aboard." The earlier joy had vanished from Valhalla's eyes, having been replaced by compassion for the lost souls of the Galassie.

Everett was stunned. "Destroyed?!" he shook his head trying to fathom the enormity of the events, that would have led to such a decision being made. "It can't be..." he said still in disbelief.

Valhalla looked sternly at him saying, "Search your heart Everett, you will see the truth..."

Everett attempted to calm his mind and feel from his heart. His eyes sharpened as events of the past began to play out through his imagination, like watching a movie. The vision was sketchy to start, but soon turned extraordinarily realistic as his mind sharpened. Valhalla watched her lessons being put to real use for the first time, as Everett saw details that would have been impossible to describe.

The more he was able to focus, the more vivid became the picture. Men were fighting, weapons firing, decisions being made by people affecting the outcome. He began to understand the turmoil that Cameron had felt...the decisions that Major Dillon had made...the two men who placed the explosive charges knowing it would ultimately take their own lives...their courage was insurmountable. He had begun to feel as Castell did...the power of prediction, and ability to see what may be in the future. Everett's life had changed forever...

The one overwhelming factor he could feel was love. His love for Te'arly and her son, for his crew, and for those he cared about. It was a feeling of omnipresence within the universe, sensing the way life is entwined throughout it...now _he understood._

Coming out of his trance-like state he looked at the world around him with new eyes, and clarity never felt before. "We must go..." he said with understanding.

Valhalla saw in him the understanding of human potential, an awakening combination of mind, body, and soul. She knew there was still much to learn for him, and his race, although Everett would come to this realisation in time. For now, it was time for the new trio to part.

Te'arly could feel this new presence as Everett walked back into the room, and asked, "Is everything alright my love?"

He sat on the bed beside her and explained what had just happened...all of it. After some tears of sadness, she had a feeling of what he wanted. Everett would return to Destiny alone, and be back for them in a few days.

He said, "You have been through so much...and Hadri'an is only a day old, so it maybe best if you two stay here for a few days..."

Te'arly was having none of that, but didn't raise her voice to make the point. In fact, she gave him a look of "_I don't think so..."_ before telling him, "Hadri'an was strong enough to be born...and strong enough to travel Everett. As much as I feel like this is a second home, you will not leave without us..." Te'arly had spoken... Everett beamed a knowing smile.

Valhalla came into the room and said, "She is right Everett...they are both well and strong enough to travel back to your ship..." she broke into a chuckle, "I don't believe you will win this one my Darling Everett" and with that she turned and walked out leaving them alone.

Later that evening on Valeya, Everett and Te'arly shed some tears as they said good bye to the people who had given them so much. Everett knew his mission was to return Castell to his home, and just as importantly, be a father to Hadri'an. Valhalla asked them both to make a promise to their new family, to protect and abide by the culture of the Valeyians while raising Hadri'an. After all, he was officially a Valeyian by birth right...and they were happy to make that oath.

As they now stood at the stargate, Everett waved his hand as he had seen Castell do so many times, and watched as the gate vortex sprung to life.

Te'arly looked at him with a cheeky smile saying sarcastically, "Clever, aren't you..." as they walked through the gate.

Arriving back on Destiny was a bit confronting for the three of them, as armed marines stood at the ready until they were told to stand down.

Matt arrived a few seconds after the gate closed. "General Young, Te'arly...welcome back..." he smiled at the little baby she was holding.

As word quickly spread, people came running from all directions to greet them home. While the new baby "ooo's and arrrr's" continued for baby Hadri'an, Everett soon found himself pulled away to more pressing issues.

Te'arly nodded to him saying, "Go honey, we'll be fine...we're home now".

After planting a small kiss on her cheek, and a quick look at the true new arrival of Destiny, Everett left with Matt for the conference room.

Matt spoke on the way, "Sir, it's great to finally have you back on-board...everyone has missed you two around here. The meeting is about to start in a few minutes" as he ushered Everett toward the conference.

Finally they arrived and walked in, with a smiling General Landry holding out his hand to Everett. "General Everett Young, you have quite a ship here I must say... How have you been my friend?"

Everett beamed a smile back saying, "Good to see you too, Hank. I've been very busy actually..." he joked.

Hank settled into a seat with Everett following soon after, before continuing. "I'm sorry that you had to come back under these circumstances...I understand you would rather be with your new family".

Everett nodded and laughed, looking around at the faces in the room. Cameron, Ra'toli, Nick, Eli, Matt, Franklin, were but a few of the people at the table. "Well, I'm with my family now..." he said with a gleam in his eyes.

Just as Gen. Landry was about to speak, two beams of light appeared in the room. Thor materialised from one, with another member from the Asgard council appearing from the other, stunning all who were seated.

Thor spoke in his usual monotone voice. "Members of the Intergalactic Alliance, I would like to introduce you all to _Freya_, the Asgard's latest improvement of our regeneration techniques. She has been unanimously elected to be the First Lady of the Asgard High Council, and she must be addressed as High Councillor Freya in diplomatic standings." Thor stood back for her to speak.

Several of the men at the table awaited her first words with baited breath. The Asgard never did things by half, and Freya was no exception. She was completely human in every way, from her pony tailed long blond hair, to her unsurpassed stunning looks. They were not disappointed when the voice of this perfect angle began and captivate her audience.

Freya started with a simple smile and spoke as any human would, vastly different to the Asgard. "It is an honour to be aboard Destiny, General Young... and a pleasure to meet you too, General Landry. Thor has told me so much about your race and the achievements of the SGC. You should all be very proud of the awakening you have accomplished" her words were filled with compassion and praise.

* * *

><p>The meeting took a straight forward jump into the main reason for being held, with Freya changing her demeanour from open to diplomatic with her next words.<p>

"Colonel Mitchell, who gave the order to destroy the Porta Galassie, was it a direct order from the Ursini High Command, or did you give that order yourself?"

Cameron felt as though he had just been punched in the face. Ra'toli went to stand in his immediate defence, but was stopped by Cameron's hand on his arm. Cam looked at him with a smile of gratitude, but knew this was his mess to clean up.

Cameron stood. "High Councillor Freya, firstly, congratulations on your appointment to the Asgard High Council..."he took a deep breath and calmed his thoughts, "The decision was not made by one person alone, rather by a committee made up of the various races within the... "Intergalactic Alliance" as Thor called it."

Freya gave nothing away and kept her tone even. "Yes Col. Mitchell, I am aware of how the decision is made, what I am asking is _did you individually give the order to execute the directive?"_

Cameron stared steely eyed back at her giving his answer. "In part, yes...I agreed with..."

Freya stopped him short with a hand up. "Yes is the answer then Col. Mitchell" she bluntly said.

Cameron protested strongly. "Wait a minute, there was much more to it than that, you weren't there..."

Freya stood her ground but remained calm and polite. "Enough Colonel, there will be another chance for you to explain later. The Ursini Command has further questions for you about this detail. On your side Colonel is the very real effort made to save many lives, to which they owe you and your crew a great deal of gratitude. You may sit down Colonel Mitchell." She turned her attention elsewhere. "High Commander Ra'toli, the Committee has a unique question of you... _If in the same position as Colonel Mitchell, would you have made the same strategic decision to destroy the ship?_"

Ra'toli stood looking squarely at Freya, and without hesitation said, "Yes I would have..."

Freya motioned him to be seated. "Thank you for your honesty Commander Ra'toli and Colonel Mitchell. This will conclude the initial investigation by the Asgard High Council. A full inquiry with the Committee will begin in two Earth weeks. Under normal circumstances, we would recommend that Colonel Mitchell be confined under your standard military procedures. However, it is the request of the Committee that you remain inactive from normal duty, with an ability to perform a consulting role only in the interim. Thank you for your attention."

Thor and Freya beamed out before another word could be spoken, which was very different from the chaos that erupted in the wake of their departure.

Cameron fired up, "What the fuck was that! Are they trying to rail-road me? Who is this fucking Committee anyway?" there was no holding him back now.

Hank yelled as he loved to, "Colonel! That's quite enough! Sit your ass down Col. Mitchell or _I will_ throw you in the brig..." He thought better of it and sat down. "Now, yes they do have the power to say so over us," Cameron tried to interject but Hank continued over the top of him, "The Committee is a selection of delegates from the seven races involved...five you know, but the Ursini and Valeyians are also now involved." His tone softened, "It's like the intergalactic who's who at the zoo, we have one member of the IOC and one retired SGC General... No guesses as to who that is..." he said with a smile.

Hank continued. "Ok, no one is trying to rail-road you Colonel. We all know that decisions in the field can have disastrous results, or good ones. Let me put on the record that I personally believe you behaved in the correct manner and made a good call under the circumstances. This is exactly what I will be putting to the Committee when asked."

While many of the others in the room agreed, they all stayed silent, except Everett who spoke. "I have seen what happened...there was more than one Prior on the ship, but he left before the explosion..." his eyes remained closed, watching the scene from the inside out.

Hank shook his head, "How could you possibly know that, you were in another galaxy at the time..."

Everett ignored his comment and continued. "He got aboard..." he went quiet as he concentrated on what came to him, "One of the crew...allowed him access...he took control of their mind" They could see him start to sweat and shake as Everett dug deeper into the events that had been.

His eyes sprung open as he came out of a trance like state, and gasped for breath. "Genesis!" he yelled, "he was there on the ship..."

Cameron said, "General Young, what are you talking about...how could you know this?" asking in confusion.

Everett put up his hands to calm the bombardment of questions. "Okay, okay...I'll explain. Firstly, as you know I have been in training with the Valeyians to help get back Castell. What they have taught me is almost like being ascended... I have the ability to see events _before and after they happen_. That is where Castell's "powers" come from... the interconnectedness of the universe. I can't really explain it, as it's just something you need to experience first-hand to understand...and the abilities that it offers to you are endless, I'll show you..."

Everett looked at the jug of water on the table, but instead of just moving it, he connected with the water allowing it to stream out of the jug, form a circle in the air and then return to the jug without spilling so much as a drop. Those watching were spellbound in awe by what they saw.

Hank was the first to speak, saying carefully "Okay General Young, you have our complete attention..." still in disbelief of what had happened.

Ev looked at Ra'toli. "Commander, what is the last thing you remember before going into stasis?"

Ra'toli thought for a moment before saying, "I was on the bridge... we had just located an Ori ship. I gave the command to..." he stopped in mid sentence and stared at Everett, "Pain...I remember fierce pain in my head, like a crushing force..." he gave it some more thought, "Nothing comes after that except... trying to contact someone, and a banging noise. I'm sorry General Young...there is no more until I awoke from stasis".

Everett nodded his complete understanding. "Prior Genesis took control of the whole ship and forced everyone into stasis. Your communication with Destiny was done while in stasis, hence the jumbled message that Dr Rush received...you were communicating subconsciously directly to the ship's neuro network through a similar style of subspace link. Destiny would have processed it as a standard link through her systems. The mind is a powerful tool Commander, capable of more than we can imagine" Everett _knew _all the details now.

Cameron spoke up somewhat more calmly than his earlier outburst. "They killed one Ori Prior and took out their ship in the explosion, so how did this..."Prior Genesis" survive?" Cameron's question was easier asked than answered.

Everett tried to explain. "The Valeyians have taught me that Genesis is as close to an ascended being as you can get without ascension, and he has something in the order of 80% of Adria's powers as it is. He has the collective power of the Ori with the ability to use it in any way he chooses, but doesn't have ultimate power available to ascended beings. Either way, he would have put everyone in stasis and allowed his troops aboard the Galassie to break the technology down and understand it. I'm surprised that all of you are still alive, this guy doesn't have much concern for non-believers...in fact we are a drain on the Ori's power. The trouble with this is that as we have discussed, killing innocent people is not the way to peace... Prior Genesis is our enemy, not the Ori soldiers and their families."

There was much contemplation around the table as the enormity of Everett's words sunk in. Their war was only with the leader of the Ori, not its people. No one in that room took any joy in the destructive power their ships held, and the death of innocent people was the true repercussions of such actions. Humans had desecrated their own people enough for thousands of years over different beliefs, so why should the Ori suffer the same fate. Genesis was like any other dictator, addicted to the ultimate power of corruption, and taking the innocent lives of those that followed his words blindly. It was time for a new plan...a different strategy had to be devised to combat Genesis without the death of soldiers _or _innocents. Somewhere on a higher plain of existence, a council of the ascended smiled upon the gathered beings of Destiny, and held great hopes for our known universe.

Lady Destiny was the first to speak. "You see, allowing them to connect with Valeya was right. Humans are beginning to understand the connections that bind this universe together".

Morgan replied more concerned, "Yes, but they must stop Genesis before he can learn the path to ascension, or peace will never come..."

* * *

><p>Genesis looked at his uncle sitting in the cell, and without raising his voice asked, "Why did you allow this man to escape his cell? Surely after what he done to your precious friends on Destiny, a little payback was in order... Why do you think I put him next to you?"<p>

Castell had been badly beaten and found it difficult to speak. "I'm... not..." he paused for a breath, "_like you_..."

This was a time where having a long life and an ability to regenerate the body worked against a Valeyian... Genesis had ordered constant beatings at random for several weeks. General Traise had fared no better, being caught while attempting to retrieve some of his confiscated weapons. Unknown to the Ori, their ship was now transmitting a unique gravity wave signal, and the scent was being left in their wake. The General's broken arm was a small price to pay for leaving a trail of bread crumbs...

Back on Destiny the meeting came to a close with General Landry holding everyone for just one more thing...

"Ok people, there is just one more order of business for the crew of Destiny... the rest of you are excused." He quickly motioned to Cameron, who came over to him. "Colonel, return to your ship, but follow your orders... _put someone else in charge, they have a way of knowing these things..._" warned Hank.

Cameron nodded with a sly smile, "Yes General..."

After Colonel Mitchell left, Hank sat back down with the main crew from Destiny. "Now we have decided to do a bit of a PR stunt with you guys."

Nick looked at Hank saying, "PR stunt... this doesn't sound good..."

Hank allowed him some leeway and didn't bite back. "Yes Dr Rush, a PR stunt. You will be hosting a reporter from 60 Minutes, live from Destiny" he waited for it to sink in.

Eli looked on bemused, "Are you serious General Landry, you're allowing a reporter to come aboard Destiny...from Earth?"

Hank kept a serious face on, but inside he was laughing knowing how he would have felt in the same situation. "Yes Mr Wallace, from Earth. Evidently you are all celebrities on Earth these days. So, you will extend the full courtesy to them, with the only exception being the data-bank."

Everett just shook his head, "So we can allow them onto the bridge..."

Hank smiled "Yes General Young, you can. All footage of sensitive areas will be viewed by or advisors before being allowed to air. This has been a directive from our Commander and Chief, who personally spoke to the producers and gave permission".

Eli asked a simple question. "General Landry, would _He_ ever come and visit?"

Hank thought for a moment but was gracious in his reply. "Son, I believe _He_ would like to, but the President has more pressing matters to deal with." Hank addressed everyone, "So if there is nothing further... General Young, with your permission I'd like to spend a few days aboard...see how you guys run this show" Hank smiled.

Everett stood and walked over to him holding out his hand, "Of course Hank, welcome aboard Destiny..."

Te'arly sat on the observation deck sofa beside a very pregnant Ginn, who was having a nurse of baby Hadri'an.

"Do you think they can sense each other?" Te'arly asked lovingly.

Ginn could feel the answer. "Oh yeah they can... she is squirming around in here..." she said patting her belly softly.

Camille and Vanessa entered the observation deck and made their way over to where they were sitting.

"Hi..." said Camille, "Are we intruding?"

Te'arly smiled broadly at them. "Of course not, we're all family around here!"

Vanessa gave Camille a knowing look to ask, but Camille resisted.

Te'arly noticed the look and happily asked, "Did you want to hold him for a while Camille?"

Camille wasn't so sure. "Oh...um I don't know...babies aren't really my thing. But I don't know about Vanessa, maybe she might want to..."

Te'arly giggled. "All you had to do was ask... Would you like to hold him Vanessa?"

Ginn tenderly handed him over to Vanessa, whose eyes lit up at the sight of Hadri'an's cute little face.

"Oh my goodness he's so cute!" said Vanessa quietly as she cradled him gently against her fatigues.

Ginn smiled at Te'arly before turning her gaze back to Vanessa and saying, "You look very natural Vanessa, like you were born to it".

Te'arly noticed as well but respected Vanessa's career decisions over having children. The crew of Destiny seemed to age slower so she figured that Vanessa still had time for a child one day. Camille noticed the look in Vanessa's eyes too and knew that it might be something she would want in the future, but that would be a bridge to cross when the time came.

Camille asked Te'arly if they needed anything in a roundabout way. "We have a custom on Earth of having a small party called a Baby Shower, for a new mother. Friends and family, mainly the women, would come over and give gifts to help with the new baby..."

Te'arly was a little surprised. "On my home world, we use to have a similar custom. When a baby was born, family and friends would place gifts outside their dwelling and sing to them. Unfortunately, due to the recent events that had stopped. I hope that now they have a cure it may start again..."

Camille felt a little uneasy about what she had said, knowing that it may have brought back some bad memories for Te'arly, and tried to play it down. "Oh, I shouldn't have..."

Te'arly cut her off by placing her hand on Camille's arm and saying, "It's alright Camille... I like the idea of a party... it sounds like fun!" She stood up and embraced Camille whispering into her ear, "It seems like a lifetime ago now, please, I am not offended. Don't be so hard on yourself Camille, and thank you... a baby shower sounds like a wonderful idea."

Destiny dropped from FTL at that moment, and the gate stared to turn. As it stabilised, Destiny received an IDC signal from the SGC and a message...

"Two coming through..."

Two men stepped out of the gate, with one holding a TV camera. They both looked scared and amazed at the same time. Destiny blurred back into FTL as Everett walked up to the two men and introduced himself.

"Hello Gentlemen, I am General Everett Young of SGC... Welcome aboard Destiny..."


	29. Chapter 29

Hello to everyone, and Happy New Year! This chapter is a little different from the normal (starting with more than a one word title – thanks to Romanhellhound). It is written from the viewpoint of a reporter, and (hopefully) the way you would expect to see on any current affairs TV show. So most of what is here is story that you already know, or maybe a reminder of previous episodes. *Names and characters of reporters (etc.) are purely fictional*

SGU s04 e09

"Live from Destiny"

"Good evening and welcome to this very special extended addition of 60 Minutes, I'm James Stephens, executive producer. Tonight we are going where not too many people have gone before…space…very deep space. We have been granted permission directly from the President of the United States to bring you, the viewer, an exclusive live report from the very real Ancient star ship called _Destiny_".

"As the world has been made aware of our new place in the galaxy, technological advances and new discoveries are being reported every day. Through the system of stargates that Mathew Daniels reported on several weeks ago, we were allowed to send a single reporter and cameraman to enter the ship. We will bring you a report on the people of Destiny, and try to explain in simple terms how some of what you will see works, although for the most part, we ourselves are still astounded by this incredible Ancient technology".

"The old catch phrase from the 1960's sci-fi series, Star Trek, "Beam me up Scotty" is now a far cry from science fiction, and is very real. The report you are about to see is difficult to believe – Alien ships and beings, different galaxies, a stranded crew from Earth – it has all the makings of a hit sci-fi series".

"Once again, our reporter Mathew Daniels and cameraman Peter Scholl have been chosen, and are aboard Destiny with a live feed ready to go straight to air. Due to the distances involved, and the use of a subspace transmitter, you may experience some sound delays and picture interference during the live sections. We also want to warn you that due to these exceptional circumstances, we are unable to control the content of any live interview, which may include coarse language. After the show, a live video feed will be running on our website that will continue periodically for the next few days".

"Some of the segments that you will see have been pre-recorded and cleared by a military committee, due to their possible sensitive nature. But as you will come to understand, it is for the very real threats that affect the people involved".

"As we now know, Earth is only one of many inhabited planets, and with this new age of openness and disclosure showing we are no longer alone in the galaxy, we hope that this report will allow a glimpse of what life is like, uncountable light years from Earth, on a star ship believed to be over a million years old."

*Static* Picture of Mathew. In the back ground "We're live Matt..."

"Good Evening Viewers, I am Mathew Daniels. Tonight we are live from the Ancient star-ship Destiny, deep in the Valeyian Galaxy. To say that I was nervous about this assignment would be an understatement, and what cameraman Peter Scholl and I went through to get here, is even more mind boggling than most can imagine. We are here tonight to give an insight about the people who have directly helped to shape the new world we now live in, and the events that led to full disclosure by the government and military, about us no longer asking that age old question... _Are we alone? _Now, to put you in the picture I will give a very brief version of how these people came to be aboard Destiny..."

*Sound drop out, short static, Mathew appears back on screen in observation deck, FTL visible in background*

"Imagine this... You were assigned to another world before disclosure, which is attacked by outside alien forces. Your only means of escape is a stargate that leads back to Earth. However, your mission was to use that stargate to dial out of our Milky Way Galaxy and into another unknown galaxy, being that it was the only stargate found to have that ability. In the heat of the battle, instead of dialling Earth, a new sequence is dialed to an unknown point in space. That point in space was the Ancient built star ship, Destiny. Around 80 people, military and civilians alike, suddenly find themselves marooned on a decaying alien ship, with only limited supplies, in the unforgiving no-where of space. The only redeeming feature is the ability of the ship to use its onboard stargate to connect to near worlds for supplies, and a set of communication devices that allowed connection over limitless distances. Any physical help from Earth was just not an option... these people were truly on their own."

*Static*

"I am currently standing on the observation deck, with the most breathtaking view that you can see in the background. We are travelling in FTL short for "Faster than Lightspeed", and the colours you see behind me are a product of both the amazing shielding technology, and the speed at which we travel. All science aside, our main aim of this report is to introduce you to the people here, who have chosen to live out the rest of their lives onboard this amazing ship."

*Blank picture for several seconds*Peter: (sound only): "And we're back"

"Here beside me is General Everett Young. He is the military appointed Commander of Destiny, but his command is also shared with civilian counterparts, Dr Nicholas Rush, and Dr Camille Wray of the IOC, would that be right General Young?"

Everett: "Close enough. We work as a team in making decisions that affect the lives and safety of the crew and ship. Obviously I am in charge of any military decisions, but input is sought from many upon all strategic decisions, military in nature or not."

Mathew: "Gen. Young, how have you coped with being so far from home for such a long time now?"

Everett: "Hmmm... It was tough at first when we had no way of returning to Earth, except through the communication stones. After our couple of years in stasis to cross to this galaxy, and having the ship rebuilt, things have been much easier. Now we get leave back to Earth every few months if needed, but I have to say that my family is onboard Destiny...this is my home now."

Mathew: "And by family you mean all the crew as well?"

Everett laughs: "Yes... not just my beautiful partner and our son, the crew as well. We have become one big family here."

Mathew looks across: "This is your partner Te'arly sitting beside you?"

*The camera pans across to Te'arly's face, then out to show her holding Hadri'an*

Mathew: "Hello Te'arly, I believe this little one sleeping is Hadri'an?"

Te'arly: "Hello, yes that's right. He is only a week old."

Mathew: "And was he born on Destiny?"

Te'arly: *looks over at Everett who gives an okay with his eyes* "No, he was born on Valeya while we were there".

Mathew: "Wow... you were on Valeya? I have to ask, what is the planet like?"

Te'arly: "It is a beautiful place, different from my home world, and very peaceful. I would like to visit again sometime..." Hadri'an wakes and begins to cry, Te'arly smiles and repositions him. "I'm sorry, I have to go..."

Mathew puts up his hands in a friendly gesture of understanding: "No, no... That's fine. Thank you for talking to me". *He returns attention back to Everett* "May I ask General Young, when Te'arly said her homeworld, wasn't she referring to Earth?"

Everett (smiles): "Not exactly, but I'm sorry I can't discuss that without her permission."

*Signal lost, returns quickly*

Mathew: "...Then it is fair to say she is from another world?"

Everett: *remains calm, but getting a little impatient* "Let's just agree on that, but I can't be more specific I'm sorry. Now is there anything else you wish to ask, as I do have other matters that require my attention".

Mathew: "We have heard a rumour that you actively engaged an unknown race...is this true?"

Everett: *looks hard at Mathew deciding if he should answer* "That isn't exactly the truth, but we were forced to defend ourselves after arriving on a world...again I have to say, I cannot divulge too much detail on that event."

Mathew: "So what can you tell me about it?"

Everett: *scratches the back of his neck in an attempt to not speak, but gives in* "I cannot give you all the details, but several of our people were wounded or killed in a fire-fight. It was unfortunate that the beings we first encountered were a type of fractional military unit, with an agenda against their own government... similar to extremist groups on Earth. At the end of the day, the government of the planet apologised and some new alliances were formed. I'm sorry but I can't comment any further".

Mathew: "We have been shown a report on the incident and I have to say, you were up against some serious opposition. Can you tell us more about the actions of (at the time) Lt. Scott drawing away the enemy forces on his own and Sgt Greer, who we believe saved the life of Dr Camille Wray?"

Everett: *sighs and refuses to elaborate* "You can read the citation for Capt. Scott...other than that I am not discussing this any further".

A soldier enters and whispers something to Everett. Without changing his expression, he excuses himself from Mathew.

Everett: "I'm sorry but that's all for now, I have to go".

The camera follows as Everett gets up and leaves the observation deck, then returns to Mathew who smiles.

Mathew: "I guess that means interview over..."

*Static*Picture cuts to pre-recorded segment.

* * *

><p>Mathew: "I know most of you will be interested in the ship's bridge, for those of you that don't know that is the control centre. We had to record this section of footage, due to the sensitive nature of the area."<p>

*Armed guard opens the bridge blast door. The picture has blacked out patches across sensitive equipment, guards' faces are pixelated. Camera view zooms in looking out of front window screens, over the bow of Destiny*

Mathew: "We are now standing inside the bridge of Destiny, and my God does it look amazing. All of the controls are alien, designed by the Ancients perhaps a million years ago. To be honest, we just don't really know the true age of the ship. As we look out the windows across the bow, she looks to be a mile long. I have been told the ship is around 800 meters long, but no one is giving out too much information, so we really don't know."

*The camera moves around the bridge, showing everything, with some CI consoles blacked out, then cuts back to a close up of Mathew*

Mathew *as the camera zooms out*: "Wow, this is a real honour. I am sitting in the command chair, affectionately known as "Kirks Chair" after General Young once said "I'm not Captain Kirk". And here to quickly replace me is Chloe Armstrong, daughter of the late Senator Alan Armstrong".

*Mathew hops up and Chloe sits down*

Mathew: "Hi Chloe, I am told you are now the main pilot of Destiny... How did you come to be in that position if I can ask?"

Chloe *smiles*: "Long story I guess...but I'll make it short. I seem to have a connection with the ship, and Destiny seems to like me at the controls. I can _feel her_ which to a certain extent gives me a sense of what is coming and how far I can push... maybe like a fighter pilot or something. I don't really know what it is, it _just is_. Can I ask you something?"

Mathew: "Anything you like..."

Chloe: "Have you spoken to _her_ yet?"

Mathew *somewhat off guard, not sure*: "Who?"

Chloe: *laughs* "Destiny. Have you spoken to the ship yet? She does have a personality all of her own... I'm sure if she likes you, she will talk to you... I just don't know if she would talk live on camera... I can ask her if you like".

Mathew: *looking even more confused, thinking that Chloe is joking with him* "I have to admit that we had no idea about that... you're not joking with me, are you?"

Chloe: *turns serious* "No, not at all. You have to remember that Destiny was alone for a very long time, and her intelligent computer systems had a lot of time to evolve. She has formed a consciousness of her own, and is like any other being on board".

Mathew: "How does Destiny communicate? Is it like a telepathic link or something more physical?"

Chloe (honestly): "Um, both and also a hologram. She can connect to a persons' neuro network and speak like a voice in your head, or in English on the CI screen. Destiny also appears as a hologram of *censored* and speaks to you in person, but she only does this for more personal or critical issues".

Mathew (intrigued): "Personal issues... Do you mean to say the ship acts as though she's a person?"

Chloe (interjects abruptly): "No! I mean Destiny is who she is, and she takes an interest in the way we live our lives. It teaches her about things different to the knowledge she amasses from the worlds encountered. Because of her neuro connections, she gets to see and feel what we go through under every circumstance, good or bad. As she has told me, our ability to show understanding of the unknown and compassion even for those who may have been against us, is teaching her and increasing her capacity to understand. It may sound strange, but I believe Destiny is more than AI, she has become an entity in her own right, and we are honoured to share that experience with her... that's all I'm saying".

Mathew (pushes a touchy subject): "What about your father, Senator Armstrong, did the ship have any bearing on his fate too?"

Chloe (if looks could kill...): "F*Censored* you! My father saved all of us by his sacrifice, and the ship had nothing to do with it... How dare you bring this into question, interview done!"

*Static* Then picture cuts back to another pre recorded segment

Mathew, walking slowly through the corridors and into the ships mess area: "As you can see, and also from the interview with Chloe Armstrong, the people here hold their surroundings in very high regard. Far be it for me to question where their loyalties lie, or is it now a case of the ship controlling the thoughts of all those aboard? In this situation, we have to remember the crew are now here by choice, which wasn't the case a few years ago when they arrived. According to the mathematician and self professed gamer Eli Wallace, who decrypted the ninth chevron on the stargate, Destiny has become home. Their lives are so... intertwined that any length of stay back on Earth is short lived. Eli's partner, who we cannot name for safety reasons, is eight months pregnant carrying their baby girl. She will be the first baby born on Destiny. She will also be the first known and documented case of a baby conceived between two different human worlds... You see, Eli's partner, although completely human, is not from Earth."

*Eli is waiting for Mathew in his quarters playing with a keno control*

Eli: "Hang on... I gotta get the keno recording... Okay, ask away!"

Mathew *looking at the hovering keno ball* "So that is a recording device? It's pretty cool!"

Eli: "Yeah... it gives a live feed and other info. We use them going through the gate to unknown worlds. It lets us know if the air is breathable and other stuff like that. We can watch it on this remote device".

*Footage from keno feed shown looking down on Mathew and Eli looking up at it*

Mathew: *normal camera returns* "So Eli, you cracked the code that eventually led you to here, is that right?"

Eli: *smiles and nods* "Um... yeah I guess I did help".

Mathew: "And how did you manage to do that?"

Eli: "It was a puzzle for the final level of a game I played... and I eventually worked it out. A short time after the military knocked on my door. They asked me to go with them or they would beam me up onto their starship. Of course I didn't believe them, so they did. The next thing I know I'm staring back at Earth from space on a starship... scary, but totally awesome too!"

Mathew: "It must have been a shock to suddenly be there, in this unbelievable situation?"

Eli: "How did you feel coming through the gate to Destiny... I felt probably the same, except you knew what was happening, I didn't. I suddenly found myself on another world, decrypting a coded chevron for a stargate I never knew existed just hours before. But now when I look back... I wouldn't change a thing. Destiny has given me a life that was unimaginable to me back home. And I even found the girl of my dreams on another world. Yeah... it's a pretty awesome life, but there is a lot more to it."

Mathew: "Can you explain?"

Eli: "Well, Destiny is on a mission...several actually, but primarily to find the origins of the universe. The Ancients... they found something, like a background noise in amongst the chaos of the big bang. That is why the ship was created in the first place...to explore, and she has been travelling along in space collecting masses of data along the way. Destiny was equipped with state of the art technology for the time including learning computers. These have evolved over time and–to put it in simple terms, if she was human, her neuro net would be the equivalent of a twenty something year old".

Mathew: "Does she talk to you, like Chloe?"

Eli hears Destiny in his mind "Are your reporters always this nosy?" Eli: "She just asked if reporters are always this nosy... I'll let you answer her..."

Mathew, somewhat apprehensive and looks around the room unsure: "Um... I'm not usually the one stuck for words."

Eli: "Just talk as though it was another person in the room"

Mathew: "Okay, um... Destiny I guess that is what a reporter does. We try to get to the bottom of things and find the real story".

Destiny speaks directly to Mathew's mind: "Hello Mathew Daniels, welcome to my world".

Mathew *his jaw drops as he hears a voice as though it's in the room* "Oh s*censored*! She just spoke to me! Did you hear that?"

Eli laughs and falls backward onto his bed: "Of course I did... you should have seen the look on your face... classic!" he sits back up and composes himself, still smiling.

Mathew *still looks around somewhat bewildered*: "Um... I'm talking to a ship, wow this is really weird. Okay Destiny, it's nice to meet you too. Is there any way you could possible show yourself as a hologram maybe, so our viewers can see you?"

*A hologram appears between Eli and Mathew, of a woman unknown to Eli. Mathew is taken back by the sight of his personal assistant*

Destiny: "Is this how you would like to perceive me?"

Mathew: "Oh my God, that's amazing. How are you able to do that...oh that's right you got inside my head. Um... just so that we're on the same page here, this is a hologram of my personal assistant Melissa who is still back on Earth." *He looks straight down the camera* "Please don't kill me Mel when we get back... I can't believe this either".

Destiny: "I don't believe Melissa will be offended by my representation of her for this event. Now that you have my attention Mathew, what is it that you would like to know about me?"

Mathew: "I honestly don't know where to start... Um... okay, how did you feel when these guys first came through the stargate to you?"

Destiny: "I wasn't able to feel anything at that time, as my consciousness had yet to fully evolve. I understood humans had come aboard and my first priority was to help them survive, by stopping at several planets that had essential elements. My capacity to better understand came later".

Mathew: *still trying to comprehend what is actually taking place* "Um...we weren't informed of your abilities, so I must say I'm playing catch up here. So how did your capacity to understand come about?"

Destiny: "Three human consciousnesses were uploaded to my memory banks just before we crossed to this galaxy. I was interacting with them until we encountered the Asgard, who then uploaded their consciousness in replicated human bodies. They helped to evolve my understanding about those who created me and the abilities of the _human consciousness. _Your ability to explore and seek understanding of that which you do not know is what I believe separates you from other entities".

Mathew: *openly impressed by what he has been told* "How often would you interact with the people aboard?"

Destiny: "The same as any human would".

Mathew: "Do you mean if you're asked too, or just as needed?"

Destiny: "Both...although I try to stay impartial and allow the crew to find their own way or solution. If lives are at risk, I will offer assistance, but I have been programmed for non interference, and the crew have ultimate control over my drive, life support, shielding, and weapons systems."

Mathew: *looks back at Eli* "She's pretty amazing..."

Destiny: "Thank you Mathew... Now I must leave."

Eli: *as they watch the hologram disappear* "That's right..."

*Static*

* * *

><p>Mathew: *in picture close up* "Welcome back live to the most unbelievable part of the ship. This is the dome..."<p>

*Camera pulls back to reveal the full splendour of the dome garden*

Mathew: "The dome is more than just a tropical forest and food supply...it is also a life support system for the entire ship. There are species of plant matter from many different worlds that not only produce fruits, but more importantly, are being studied to find any medicinal qualities. Tests have yielded amazing results, with things like anaesthetics, pain suppressors, and amazingly, cures for blindness".

*Camera moves across to show Lisa standing beside Mathew*

Mathew: "Here with me is Dr Lisa Park, who specializes in astronomy and geology, and was blinded in an accident just before the ship left the last galaxy. Lisa, first of all, has your sight returned?"

Lisa: "Yes, in fact, my eyes are better than ever".

Mathew: "It's hard to believe that up until a few months ago, the accident had left you with permanent eye damage. According to the official report logged with the SGC and I quote– "It is highly unlikely that Lisa's sight will ever return to normal, due to the intense radiation burn received." That doesn't sound like it was an injury you are able to recover from..."

Lisa: *smiling* "Normally it wouldn't...but thanks to some very dedicated and talented people, they were able to create a solution that could repair the eye itself".

Mathew: "I'm told that they used different plant extracts to manufacture the compound, is that how it was made?"

Lisa: "Yes... and a lot of help from Destiny's medical database. We have collected information from several different worlds that had technology, and found resources for many human conditions. Our information was also updated with the help of the Valeyians... their understanding of human anatomy is remarkable".

Mathew: "Has this been shared with Earth?"

Lisa: "Medical advances and updates are shared through military channels, but you would have to speak to someone involved in that area".

Mathew: "So what can you tell me about the dome, and the way it all works?"

Lisa: "The whole story if you have time. *laughs* Apart from being a supply of fresh food, it is also our atmosphere for the entire ship. Obviously we know how vegetation works, but in here the mist that you feel is the falling humidity. It is collected and drained through the soil for the plants, then filtered and cleaned for our use. Waste water is then pumped back through a filtering system into evaporators that allow it to become the mist you feel. The whole system of life-support centres on this dome, although we do still have the original ships supply if it is ever needed".

Mathew: "I bet NASA would have loved this many years ago... Can I ask you, how is life on a ship like this?"

Lisa: "It was very tough at first when we arrived, but since we have crossed... it's much better. Having regular contact with Earth and other ships makes it feel... easier I guess, not so isolated. We know that we're no longer stranded in the middle of space".

Mathew: "How is it on relationships or family?"

Lisa: "Well, I am engaged to a Marine who lives here, so he is my family. I still travel to Earth to see my relatives every few months, but now my life is here... I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be".

*The com interrupts* "Dr Park, we require your assistance on the bridge, immediately"

Lisa: "Duty calls... sorry I must go".

Mathew: "Thank you Dr Park".

*Pre recorded segment*

Mathew: "Here with me is– Dr Camille Wray and Dr Tasha Wong Hoy. Is it fair to say you guys are the resident psychologists?"

Camille: "Pretty much". *looks at Tasha who nods and smiles*

Mathew: "Camille, you are a part of Destiny's command?"

Camille: "Yes. I am the civilian leader on the command team, although many others also get to offer their opinions when needed".

Mathew: "Tasha, what is your main role aboard the ship?"

Tasha: "I am the serving member of the I.O.A, and the ships fulltime psychologist to both civilian and military crew members".

Mathew: "If I could ask you Camille, seeing that you have been here longer *looks at Tasha* no offence to you Dr, *Tasha smiles knowingly* how has the transition in the crew been from when you first come aboard, until now?"

Camille: *laughs* "We don't have enough time to explain that one... I was opposed to coming aboard in the first place, but back then I didn't have much choice. The gate was dialled and well, now here we are several years later. As you would have learnt by now, it was no holiday when we first come aboard. We lost several members of the crew within months, and what didn't help was the division between the civilians and military personal, who all had different agendas."

Mathew: "Surely the main agenda at first would have been to return to Earth?"

Camille: "It was for most of us...but a few others disagreed, one person in particular. Don't ask the next question, I can't tell you who it was."

Mathew: *looks concerned* "How difficult did that make the situation at the time?"

Camille: *takes a deep sigh remembering those first few months aboard* "It was a very stressful time and a lot of things happened. When a group of people are thrown into a situation they cannot control, they will tend to turn on each other over differences of opinions. Just surviving at all was difficult, and we didn't have any control over the ship, or the stargate for some time. At the time, even if we were able to turn Destiny around, Earth was maybe a million years away. After much in fighting and just... well assholes being assholes, finally a truce was called and they started to work together. Like it or not, Destiny had a mission to explore, and we were now part of the mission. I am glad that we now have the ship in perfect condition, and access to Earth on a regular basis".

Mathew: "Wow, sounds like they were really tough times. How are things now with the people involved?"

Camille: "Better...much better. Since our crossing, the people and life in general has taken some normality. Our technology has increased allowing more protection and the ability to return to Earth. We now know all that happened was a part of something greater than an individual, allowing us to finally become the fifth race, and it was in part due to Destiny. Once we agreed on continuing Destiny's mission, everyone knew where they stood. Of course if we had found a planet with the ability to dial Earth, we would have. As for your question, they work together and don't always agree, but now they compromise".

Mathew: *turns his attention to Tasha* "Tasha, as an outsider coming in, how have you adjusted to all this?"

Tasha: *brushes her long dark hair back over her shoulder* "It was very hard at first to adjust. Things are so different from what I was used to on Earth. Being part of the I.O.A also didn't help, as most people from SGC tend not to trust its members".

Mathew: "Was that because of different agendas, or more financial reasons?"

Tasha: "It was no secret that the I.O.A had a controlling influence on the funding for the stargate program. At times some projects may have been awarded more than others due to personal interests...but things have changed so much now. With matter-stream technology we no longer need money to build ships or many other items. The I.O.A had different reasons for certain decisions that the SGC and others may not have agreed with, but most of that mistrust is in the past as we now work together, with one common goal".

Mathew: "Getting back to my first question, what made you decide to come aboard?"

Tasha: "That's easy. Adventure, unknown, challenge...you name it– it was a whole host of things that helped to make my decision. *pauses for a moment* Out here...we are really alone and only have ourselves to rely on at times. From my professional point of view, it is like a living exercise in human understanding. Everyone on board knows the risk of the unknown is great, but yet they are content to accept that risk, no different to the odds of being in a car crash or hit by a bus. We don't make the right decisions all the time, which affect what may happen next. One of the scary moments was an encounter with the Ori ship. The decision made at the time had far reaching consequences, and everyone aboard, even though happy to be safe, was also aware of our actions".

Mathew: "You mean the destruction of their ship. Aren't they just casualties of war?"

Tasha: *looks at Camille who nods her approval* "No...They are families likes yours or mine, caught in the web of Origin. These people become innocent victims of a war over what seems to be nothing but power and greed. The cost was far too high, even after seeing what they had done to another race. As much as I have a personal dislike for their ideals, I do not hate their followers...only their controlling leaders".

Mathew: "Camille and Tasha, thanks for talking to us..."

Camille: "You're welcome"

*Static* *Live picture returns, Mathew is running along a passage toward the bridge, camera is behind him following*

Mathew: *slightly breathless* "We have just had word that something has been detected... far off in space. I'm going to try and get into the bridge, we'll see what happens".

*Destiny drops from FTL, picture interrupted*

Mathew: *sees Everett and asks permission to enter*

Everett: "Okay, if I ask you to leave...you go, no questions got it?"

Mathew: *seriously* "Yes Sir, understood". *He remains quiet and keeps the live feed and sound running, and whispers to the camera* "We'll just let this play out..."

* * *

><p>Everett leant over Franklin's shoulder. "What is it, do we know yet?"<p>

Franklin continued analysing the data on the CI screen. "I'm not sure, we got Lisa to take a look and she seems to believe it's not naturally occurring in space...looks to be man-made or some kind of signal. Rush is running comparison programs, but nothing yet."

Everett looked at Chloe in Kirk's chair asking, "How long ago did the sensors pick it up?"

Chloe turned to him replying, "About 20 minutes ago a gravity wave was detected, but it was put down to a possible quasar star. After Lisa checked it, she seemed to think not. A few minutes ago the signals became more a pulse, about ten parsecs apart."

Everett turned to Nick who immediately asked, "Is there a reason we have a reporter on the bridge right now General?"

Everett smiled at him, "Like it or not, I have my orders too. He stays unless it escalates to more. Now what can you tell me?"

Nick shakes his head and looks up to Everett saying, "If I were a betting man, my money would be split two ways. Either it is an unknown race trying to make contact with aliens, or... a trail of bread crumbs. Number two under our current circumstances, would be better for us." A message appears in ancient on his screen. "Destiny appears to have seen something like this before...a few months ago, you know about that time..."

Everett cleared his mind and focused on Castell. A short glimpse appeared to him of a man injured, under Ori control, and a message from a close friend. "Happiness is where you find it, Everett."

Rush looked intently at him, "Everett, did you see something?"

He nodded his head "Yeah, I did...but not here, conference room in ten. Chloe, can we track it in FTL?"

"Yes Sir, shall I set a course?"

Everett smiled at her...Chloe set course and jumped.

The camera watched out the window as the stars appeared to move across the bow, and then their picture was interrupted by the jump back to FTL. Mathew turned back to face the camera.

Mathew: "I have to say, the tension on the bridge was unbelievable, but these people all work so well together. No panic or haste, just concise information about the situation unfolding. I will try and find out more". *looks to Everett* "General Young, can you make any comment on what just happened?"

Everett: "As you saw we have detected some type of disruption that appears to be in a pattern. Just what this is, and whether it is natural or technology is yet to be determined".

Mathew: "So what is the plan now, are we pursuing this pattern?"

Everett: "We will have a discussion about what it may be, but for now, it is way out of our sensor range. Chloe will attempt to track whatever this is, but the signal is weak. That's what we are here for...exploring. Thank you, I must go".

Mathew: "Thank you Sir, for your time".

Nick: *looked over to Mathew* "Okay, there is nothing more to see here...out!"

*live feed from Destiny cuts, back live in the studio with James Stephens*

"After that remarkable turn of live events, we decided to stay on air to witness first hand how situations are handled onboard. As the producer, I want to offer our sincere gratitude to the government for allowing this momentous step forward to be televised live, more importantly, the crew of the ship. Mathew and Peter will return next week aboard one of our own Enterprise class ships, with a very different look at military life amongst the stars".

"We hope that you have come to appreciate in the live interviews and pre-recorded segments, a real sense of how difficult life can be light years from anywhere. There were so many more people we wanted to talk with, but unfortunately time just won't allow. You can see some of the other interviews on our website, and also a periodic live feed for the next five days, hosted by Eli Wallace. Until then, _beam me up Scotty_..." *James disappears from his chair*

* * *

><p>In the conference room on Destiny, Everett, Nick, Eli, Franklin, Camille, and Amanda sat at the table.<p>

Nick was first to speak sarcastically, "I'm surprised you didn't invite Mathew..."

Everett just rolled his eyes. "That's enough Rush...there are more important things to be concerned about. Now is everyone up to speed?"

Nick started a briefing. "We have detected what may be a trail of bread crumbs, or so we think. Destiny's long range scanners suggest this trail goes into another galaxy. Chloe has turned and started to track the trail, but we are inhibited by our lack of speed. We have contacted Apollo and given them co-ordinates, but how far off they are is anyone's guess."

Eli asked, "Do you believe this is a trap or trick, or maybe just another race looking for ET?"

Camille answered looking directly at Everett. "No... You believe its Castell don't you? How would this have been possible on an Ori ship?"

Everett looked at the faces around the table before speaking. "I know you don't all understand what I have been taught, but if you have any doubt, speak up now."

Amanda weighed in. "Destiny has confirmed that Everett's mind is different from before he left. He does have the gifts similar to Castell."

Everett was not one to sit back, so he just told them what he'd seen. "I believe I connected with Castell for a few seconds and saw what was around him, like a stone connection. There was a man in the next cell to his, who looked to be injured. From what I experienced, it seemed to be this other man that left the trail."

Nick felt something suspicious about Everett's statement and said so, "There is something you're not telling us... you know who he is...?"

Everett wasn't sure how to tell them, but it was his burden to bear. "Yes. Before I say it, it is not to leave this room under any circumstances, is that understood?" he waited for nods around the table.

"General Traise..."


	30. Chapter 30

Hello again, just a quick note to the more tech perceptive sifi readers... I was unable to accurately define (or find info on) just how fast Destiny's FTL actually is, which is also due to a lack of info by the original series. Therefore, I have based my calculations of speed and time on the time it took to cross the galaxy they were originally in (at a guess of 80,000 parsecs or 260800 L/Y across). I am in no way that technically advanced in my understanding of mathematics and astrophysics to compute their exact speed, but for the story, my answer was an FTL speed of 4.56 parsecs (14.86 L/Y)/ hour. If anyone does know exactly how fast she travels, drop me a PM as I would be interested to know. Cheers...

SGU s04 e10

Trail

A hush came over the room as Everett's words sank in. Of everyone there, Eli was the most shocked.

He stood up, thrusting back his chair into the wall, anger boiling over as Eli yelled in disbelief...

"Fucking what!?"

Everett knew he wouldn't take this well and was ready, however he remained calm as he leapt up from his own seat. "Eli... I understand your reaction, but I cannot help what appears to me. Of all the people or beings to be held by the Ori, he was the last one _any of us_ would have expected. It does seem that he is working with Castell to form an escape plan, but that _does not_ _mean_ we trust him. I am the first person that would love to see him dead...whether or not he could help, just understand that the mission is to save Castell, and if Traise helps us achieve that then so be it! We can always throw him back to the Ori later...let's just use this asshole as a pawn for now. Like it or not, he left a trail for us."

Eli shook his head, throwing his hands up in resistance to this information and stormed out swearing. Camille, although upset by this news, again put her personal thoughts aside and went after Eli.

Nick glared at Everett saying sarcastically, "Yeah, great…just come out with it! For fucks sake Ev, do ya think maybe some tact would have been good? Fuck me…surely you could have given us some warning…"

Everett retaliated. "Okay Rush, this is what we're up against. Do you just want me to sugar coat it for you, or just say it? I knew Eli would react, but I wanted him to hear it first hand from me. I can't help anyone's reaction to this news, and don't think for _a fucking momen_t that I like it either… but this is what we have got to work with, so deal with it!"

* * *

><p>Amanda wiped a tear from the corner of her eye as Everett sat back down, with silence coming over all of them. Watching the faces around the table, she could feel Destiny herself absorb the situation with some concern. This was soon realised by everyone as her hologram appeared in the room, and standing where Eli's chair should have been, Destiny spoke.<p>

"Normally I wouldn't take part in such affairs, but with this information I feel that I must at least offer my own opinion. I can understand the human reaction to this, as I myself was affected, but I do agree with Everett. We do not appear to have much choice in tracking the gravitational signal, as I am sensing it maybe more than two galaxies away. I do not have the capability to travel at the required speed to be effective in rescue. In light of your own feelings about this human, any attempted rescue would be better accomplished by an Enterprise class vessel, with remote assistance from us. Unless the Ori are in this galaxy, I am afraid we can do little else."

Nick looked at the hologram of Lady Destiny, tilting his head to the side before saying, "So are you going to tell us this in person, or use the muse of the ship, Lady Destiny?"

She reached out and touched his hand, as Nick felt the warm sensation of real skin on his. "You have your answer Dr Rush, and just so you know...I believe the Ori may return to this galaxy if given reason..." with that, she vanished.

Everett was the first to speak. "Was that really her?"

Nick smiled somewhat sarcastically, "Yeah, yes it was..."

Camille found Eli in one of the many passages and coaxed him out from his anger. "Eli, the past is the one thing we can't control... but how the future turns out, is something we do at least get a part in. I'm not saying I understand how you feel, I couldn't... but that doesn't mean I can't feel your pain either." She waited a moment for him to respond.

"You don't know what he did Camille...and what he was going to do to her again. I just flipped out at the thought of him…" Eli still had tears on his cheeks.

Camille reached out and put her hand on his for comfort. "Eli, he is not here...he can't hurt us again, we won't let him. At least now, we're aware of whom we have to deal with, and I'm certain there will be a line to take some vengeance on this asshole..."

Eli slowly smiled as he lifted his head hearing Camille's comment. "Asshole..." he began to chuckle, "I never thought I would hear you say that."

Camille gave a cheeky grin. "You should know more about me than anyone else Eli..." they began to laugh remembering Eli's breakdown in her quarters.

Back in the conference room, a serious discussion was taking place about how to bring the Ori back within striking distance of the Valeyian Galaxy. Matt and Greer had also joined them, along with a live feed video from the Apollo, with Cameron and Daniel Jackson.

Cameron had the rooms' attention. "I'm sorry Ev, but we're still too far away to pick up the signal. Dr Jackson over here is trying with the help of our lady Asgard, Sága, to find a way and track it. I'll keep you up dated. Have you contacted Telford yet?"

Everett laid down his own thoughts. "Not yet, but we will. If you were the Ori, why would you come back here knowing that the one weapon with the power to destroy– would be waiting? I have serious doubts that letting slip about the position of the Ark in this galaxy would recall them..." He turned to Nick for his opinion.

Nick shifted in his chair, trying to come up with an idea. "If you were coming to destroy the one weapon that could destroy you, it would be more reasonable to assume they would only send a limited force...in this case, no Prior who may transmit anything if exposed. Genesis isn't stupid... he wouldn't risk his ship or abilities against a plan that may fail. I think you're going to have to flush him out and send him this way."

Matt asked, "Any other ideas how Rush?"

Nick smiled and gave a chuckle, "You're the military tactician, and I'm just the scientist..."

They were interrupted by Chloe on the com. "General Young, I'm picking up another signal... it appears to be a ship of some kind," she said.

A concerned tension came over the room as Everett replied, "How far off, Chloe?"

Chloe went silent for a moment while calculating the distance. "Sir it appears to be just at the edge of base scanning range, so maybe 8.5 parsecs away. I have no idea if they have seen us yet either, Sir," she said.

Everett nodded, "Okay Chloe, we'll be up there shortly..."

Cameron caught Everett's attention. "Sounds like you got other things to deal with. We'll continue the search from our end and be in touch. Apollo out..." and with that the video ceased.

Everett, Nick, and Franklin made their way back to the bridge to find Chloe busy at the CI screen, plotting an intercept course.

Without looking up from what she was doing, she said "They have detected us and changed course in our direction General, so I have done the same."

Everett mulled this over for a moment before asking, "How far off our original course have we gone tracking the signal trail?"

Chloe tapped on her screen. "Nearly 18 parsecs...we have been following the trail for around 4 hours. At our current speed we should intercept the unknown ship in about an hour, if they remain at their current velocity. I will have more information and better scanning within another twenty minutes."

Everett nodded. "Do you think we would have detected this ship if we'd stayed on our original course?"

Chloe looked at Franklin and Nick who were seated at the forward console CI screens. Both of them gave her a blank stare and shrugged their shoulders.

She said with doubt, "I have no idea General...maybe...maybe not– they are at the edge of our usual scanning range, so it is possible we would have missed them in FTL."

Nick added, "The same may be said for whoever they are too..."

Franklin said it all. "Let's just hope they're friendly..."

* * *

><p>Eli lay beside Ginn and rested his hand softly on her belly, feeling their daughter moving to his gentle touch.<p>

"I think she likes that baby" said Ginn as she placed the head phones from Eli's IPod over her belly playing "Try".

Eli felt her move in rhythm with the music. "I think she might be a Pink fan too..." he said laughing quietly.

Ginn smiled at the feelings from her daughter. "Your world has really awesome music Eli, very different from what I was use to on mine...and I know someone else who likes it..."

The two of them just lay there looking into each other's eyes for a while, blissful in the joy they had created. Feeling this emotion also was the one entity watching over all of her human crew. Destiny was learning about love...and the infinite depth of unconditional love that both Eli and Ginn felt for their unborn daughter already. Yes, Destiny was becoming more emotionally attached to her new human "family" with every passing moment.

Eli was broken from his tranquil moment, "Do you feel that?"

Ginn had also noticed, "Yes, I do..." she smiled broadly at him. "I think Destiny is showing emotion too. It is a bit strange having such a connection to her, but I have spent such a long time with her that it doesn't surprise me she cares about us...that's what you're feeling from her."

Eli asked Ginn, "Do you think Destiny has a soul? I mean...the more she interacts and understands, the greater her intellectual processing becomes. I know she is self aware of whom she is, but surely there must be a bigger connection between Destiny and Lady Destiny. It's like the ship is an extension of Lady Destiny's being..."

Ginn stroked Eli's face with her hand. "I believe she has a soul...even if it is part of Lady Destiny's. For any entity to feel love one must have a soul...and she feels something toward all of us." Ginn leaned toward Eli and kissed him.

Their moment of solitude was interrupted by a calling to Eli. "Sorry Eli, your needed on the bridge...Rush out."

Eli sighed and gave Ginn's belly a quick kiss, "I love you both..." he said as he walked to the door.

A few minutes later he was on the bridge taking in what was happening. Chloe was at the main controls, with Franklin, Brody, and Nick stationed at various CI consoles deciphering the data collected over the last half hour.

Franklin turned to face Eli. "Glad you feeling better Eli...we need your help. Come take a look at this..."

Eli studied the data on screen. "So this is the ship we detected. From what I can see they appear to have an FTL drive of some kind..."

Franklin nodded. "Yeah, but what else?" he asked.

Eli ran through some more data expecting to hear Nick say something sarcastic, but no comment came. "It looks...um, no that can't be right..."

Nick made the comment Eli was waiting for. "Organic, composite design– Half organic and half machine. Very similar to the Wraith ships in the Pegasus Galaxy...right?"

Eli turned to speak just as General Young entered the bridge hearing the conversation. "True, but Wraith ships have hyper drive engines, not FTL drives... and besides, why or how would they be out here?" asked Eli sarcastically back.

Nick was laughing under his breath poking fun at Eli. "I think I might have read some of the reports on the Wraith too Eli..." he replied with a smirk.

Everett was having none of it. "Enough of the Wraith talk, you two tell me what this is...not what it isn't!" he snapped at both of them.

Nick turned to Everett. "Well General, as we just said it is similar to a Wraith Hive ship, but it isn't one. Luck for us, and them, the signature is entirely different and they appear to have an FTL drive, not hyperspace drives. But apart from that, we don't know too much more as yet."

Chloe called out, "Sir, we're being hailed...audio and video."

Everett looked at his crew on the bridge. Nick and Eli nodded. "Okay Chloe, on screen"

The message appeared with a human face of a man in his late fifties on screen. "Unknown vessel, we are peaceful explorers and mean you no harm. We are not seeking to fight, merely to pass through this galaxy peacefully. I hope that you will respond in kind."

Everett did a quick check around, "Any objections?"

Eli said it. "Answer with caution, and shields at 40%. That should discourage any attempt to fire on us. They might be on the level."

Everett nodded "Agreed. Chloe, open a channel," she did, "Unknown Vessel, we too are peaceful explorers travelling through this galaxy on a scientific mission. I am General Everett Young, Commander of the Ancient ship Destiny, and we mean you no harm either."

Chloe cut the feed saying, "Sir, we will drop out of FTL in five minutes, and should have a visual shortly. I have another incoming message, shall I...?"

Everett smiled at her. "Go ahead Chloe, on screen."

Chloe opened the channel on screen. The man stood with his arms behind his back in a grey coloured uniform with insignia on his shoulders and looked to be of very high ranking as he observed Everett.

"General Everett Young, I am Royal Commander Archmal Havoy of the star ship Infinite Voyage, are you able to stop for a meeting with us? Your ship appears to be of a familiar design to some others we have encountered, and I would be interested to know from which galaxy you came." He stood straight faced waiting for Everett to answer.

Destiny dropped from FTL right on time, and travelled under sublight engines before coming to a stop some 5000 kilometres from the other vessel. Their ship was on par with Destiny for size, but vastly different in shape. The main section was hexagonal in design being around 600 meters long, with several antenna style protruding structures from the top and bottom of the vessel. Checking the scans, they found it was just less than 250 meters across, and 200 meters high between the flats of the hex. The alien ship shields seemed comparable to most they had encountered, and detected mainly defensive weapons only. Chloe kept the shields at 40% but all of Destiny's weapons systems remained offline.

Everett answered. "As a Royal Commander, I hope you understand that our shields remain as they are until we have spoken further. Please do not take this as an act of aggression, merely a cautionary step for the moment. We are happy to meet with your people and find out more about each other."

Archmal nodded with an accepting look. "I understand General Young, and we have done the same. Unfortunately there are some... that only seek to do others harm. I trust this is not your intentions?"

* * *

><p>Everett gave a look of empathy to Archmal and answered. "Our intentions are for mutual and beneficial relations or trade, not that of war or incursion. It would be an honour to meet with you."<p>

Nick got Everett's attention, "General, they appear to have a stargate onboard too, and there are several suitable and uninhabited planets within range."

Archmal couldn't hear Dr Rush, but knew that Destiny had scanned them and found they had a stargate. "Perhaps, General Young, a suitable planet in the system nearby is a good meeting place," he paused for a moment, "We know your ship has a vortex gate too... and that your scans have found ours. Shall we pick one?"

A dialling sequence appeared on the bottom of the screen, followed by Nick's exact same choice on Archmal's screen. "I see we already agree on a world, good start then...shall we meet in several minutes?"

Everett nodded. "Yes, and we will be sending a team that is armed, as I would expect the same form your team as well."

Archmal broke into a grin. "Of course, I would expect nothing less. See you on the ground shortly." And with that, the transmission ended.

Chloe voiced her opinion, not only because Matt was going, but also something just didn't sit right with her. "General Young, I know I don't have influence over your decisions, but something about this doesn't feel right with me...I don't trust him."

Everett walked over to her and put his hand reassuringly on her shoulder saying, "I agree, but we have to start somewhere Chloe..." he leant down and whispered in her ear, "and I'll promise to look out for him."

Chloe said it simply. "Thank you..."

Eli felt uneasy about this too, but remained quiet...Nick broke his thoughts after Everett left for the gate room, "Eli, we do have a slight issue that may require attention soon."

Eli moved over to where he was watching the CI screen and asked, "Okay, spill it..."

Nick tapped away for a moment before answering, as Eli watched, "Clear as mud?" he asked Eli.

"Yeah, so Destiny needs some gas... where still over 30%, why is that a problem? There are plenty of stars around here to fuel up on," said Eli.

Nick dragged open some more screens, "Destiny is really efficient, but..." he brought some data charts to Eli's attention. "This is the impact data from the first Ori ship energy weapon that fired upon us..."

Eli studied the data for a moment, "Yeah, so...the shield hardly used any power to sustain itself. We know that, what's your point?"

Nick overlapped the first wave of data from their most recent account with Ori firepower, before saying somewhat sarcastically, "You're the math boy– do the math..."

Eli didn't need to work to hard calculating the differences, they were obvious. "Nearly 1000% increase in power drain? Are you kidding me, why didn't we detect this earlier? And how?"

Rush still enjoyed having one up on Eli at times saying, "Well lad, the first part is an oversight, the second part is where it gets interesting. It seems the Ori have learned something with all their mind power or however you want to describe it... they are fluctuating the frequency modulation on the beam weapon until it begins to penetrate Destiny's shields. In response, our V bank adjusts the shields too counteract... the problem is that this requires serious power to keep regenerating the shield harmonics at different layers." Rush looked long at Eli, "You were taught this by Valhalla's daughter remember..."

Eli stared at the data remembering the lesson and conceded. "Yeah, I remember. So this means under constant attack, we would only have a limited time depending on our fuel status."

Franklin and Brody came over, with Brody asking, "How much time...exactly?"

Eli did the sums. "Weeks on a full tank against one ship, days or hours against many ships at once... more than enough time to jump to FTL."

Brody then asked the obvious one, "What about our current level?"

Nick answered honestly. "Against say five Ori mother ships under continuous fire... three, maybe four hours before they would breach the shields. But if that were the case Mr Brody, I would suggest we fire back and increase our odds..."

Mean while in the gate room, Everett stood ready with his team at the gate before waving it to life.

Matt looked across to him saying, "You don't get tired of that do you?"

Everett smiled broadly at him, "Use it or lose it, that's what they taught me..." and they stepped into the stargate arriving shortly after on a pleasantly forested world.

There were no signs of the other people from Archmal's crew so Ev's team spanned out and did some quick recon using life scanners.

Greer reported back quickly, "Sir, there appears to be no signs of life anywhere nearby. In fact Sir, there aren't even any tracks or a path...my guess is this place is deserted."

Everett called him back. "Okay Sergeant, have your men take up some not so hidden positions, and two men hidden using Valeyian life-sign cloaking devices, just in case." He turned back to the gate as it began to spin.

Greer answered. "Understood Sir, Sgt. Wallace and Cpl. Stevens will vanish undercover, Greer out," they nodded to him and vanished off the detector screen, as Ron began to make his way back to the gate with his men.

Archmal and his well armed team appeared through the stargate in a civilized manner. Everett was surprised to see that most of his team looked well into their fifty's or sixty's, both men and women. He knew from experience to never underestimate a possible adversary, but hoped things wouldn't come to that.

Archmal walked forward to Everett, who met him half way and extended his hand. "In our custom, it is appropriate to offer a hand of friendship to start proceedings," said Everett.

Archmal put out his hand and clasped Everett's saying, "We have a similar tradition amongst our people too. It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance Gen. Young," he looked around at the Marines and Airman stationed in various positions, "And you appear to have such a young crew guarding the area. I'll assume that is for our protection as well?"

Everett smiled openly replying, "Of course, it is our standard procedure to defend from unseen circumstances. It is also good to meet a fellow traveller in the middle of the vastness of space. Had we not varied our normal course, we may have never met. Now that we have, how can we assist each other's journey?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Ron turned to Matt whispering, "What are they saying, I can't hear shit..."

Matt smiled and whispered back, "What and you think I can hear them? Whatever they're saying they are keeping it to themselves... let's just wait and see, shall we Sergeant?"

Greer gave Matt a slightly confused, but frustrated look. He didn't like not being party to issues that may concern the possible safety of his men, or the ship and crew.

Everett signalled to Matt to come over saying, "Captain Scott, please join us."

Matt sensed Everett's official tone and knew he would have to obey any order given without question. "Yes Gen. Young?"

Everett gave him a reassuring nod with a "_trust me"_ lookbefore asking, "Captain, can you please travel to Destiny and bring _Dr_ Eli Wallace back here for some technical discussions with a member of Archmal's crew."

Matt obliged his request with a quick salute, "Yes Sir, immediately," he turned and barked an order to one of the men, "Cpl Mears, dial the gate to Destiny"

Mears dialled on his keno control pad and the gate sprung to life. Matt entered and was back on board Destiny shortly after. He went straight to the bridge and found Eli going over some other "oversighted figures" of Destiny's power consumption.

Matt called him to a quiet spot on the bridge. "Eli, Gen. Young wants you to come down to the planet."

Eli looked a little confused saying, "Um, okay...why?"

Matt looked over Eli's shoulder to make sure no one else was listening, especially Nick, and spoke in a whisper. "He's asked for you to meet with one of the other ships crew on the planet...but there's something else. You are Dr Eli Wallace as Gen. Young put it to me, so keep that to yourself but I believe that is what he was trying to tell me diplomatically."

Eli sniggered and tried not to laugh. Matt put up his hand to stop him saying, "Eli, this is very serious okay, it's not a joke...come with me now."

Eli turned back to the others on the bridge and kept his humour to himself. "Dr Franklin, I have to go down to the planet at Gen. Young's request. Could you please tell Ginn for me, as I don't know how long I will be gone?"

Eli walked out with Matt and began to giggle down the corridor saying, "Dr Eli Wallace... I like the sound of that..."

Matt smiled beside him, "Don't get too used to Eli, most of us have to earn our stripes the hard way."

Back on the planet Eli was introduced to Archmal as Dr Eli Wallace, one of the lead scientists of Destiny's expedition in deep space. Eli just hoped he could live up to the name if asked technical questions. The gate began to turn again with Archmal informing Everett of their "science specialist" late arrival. Hidden away in the forested area, Sgt. Wallace and Cpl. Stevens were at the ready to fire on the gate should unexpected company arrive, but there fears were soon allayed as a much younger and very attractive woman came through on her own.

Archmal introduced her to everyone. "This is our science specialist, Malisa... and she is also our youngest member of the expedition. Malisa was only a child when we started our journey, 28 orbits ago...she is also my daughter."

Eli felt himself drawn to her but quickly shook the thought from his mind, with a feeling of commitment and deep love to Ginn. He refocused his fleeting wayward thought to the more pressing issues of science and mathematical equations he was about to face. Introducing himself with a gentle handshake and keeping his distance, he was surprised by her directness to engage in scientific conversation almost immediately.

Malisa was straight to the point at the introduction. "It is an honour to meet a fellow scientist," she said in perfect Ancient.

Eli had studied Daniel Jackson's recordings and had a firm grasp of Ancient language "just in case" he ever got to meet one, and answered back in the same, "It is my honour to greet you as well," but then returned to his native tongue, "Malisa."

Malisa started with her questions in English that felt somewhat probing to Eli and Everett, who was also listening. "Dr Wallace, I am keen to learn more about the physical workings and navigation of your ships Light Drive capabilities, and how you were able to overcome the issue of subspace distortions during travel."

Eli knew this wasn't an easy question to answer, but believed more that it may be a test about his knowledge than an actual question, so he answered cautiously. "Our systems are calibrated through the ship's sensors in real time to allow for any corrections that maybe required."

Archmal spoke up. "Oh Dr Wallace, please forgive my daughters abruptness into complex issues such as light drives. It has been sometime since she has had someone of your standing to communicate with." He looked to his daughter and smiled saying, "Perhaps you might start with some general conversation before discussing all the wonders of the universe my dear daughter..."

Eli smiled back at both of them, but more so to the attractive Malisa before he realised his thoughts, and tried to make a lame excuse for staring.

Everett put a quick stop to that by coming over to them and asking "Commander Havoy, have you explained to Dr Wallace and Malisa how our scientific exchange is going to work?"

They both looked at their respective "commanders" somewhat puzzled with Eli asking rhetorically "Exchange?"

The two older men chuckled at their own arrangement, watching the "younger" two trying to work it out. Everett laid it out plainly for them.

"We have decided to exchange two people for a short time on each ship. Dr Perry and Capt. Scott will accompany Commander Havoy and his crew, while Malisa and..." "Topin" said Archmal quickly, "come with us until the arranged time to meet back here. There will be an open communication channel from both ships at all times, unless of course, neither of you want to do this..."

* * *

><p>Eli's first thought was of Ginn and his unborn daughter. With Ginn nearly at full term, he didn't really want his "work" getting in the way of his pending family. The other thing he considered was <em>just how long were they talking about, a few hours or days?<em> The girl standing in front of him gave Eli cause for concern, in a different way. He had already caught himself out once over her looks, and didn't really want to spend "up close and personal" time with her. He decided his best course of action was to be focusing on what made his heart just melt away...his love for Ginn.

Commander Havoy spoke up and broke Eli's thoughts. "Very well then General Young, we will return to our ship and meet back here in two of your time marks?"

Everett nodded. "Yes, two hours. See you then..." he shook Archmal's hand.

Archmal's party left for their ship as Greer call his hidden men back. Everett opened the stargate with a simple wave of his hand, as Matt again just shook his head watching him smile.

"Sir", Matt asked, "How long is this exchange going to be for? We have the Apollo calling soon to collect that reporter guy and his camera man...shouldn't we be in the hunt for Castell?"

Everett saw a different picture and explained. "Their ship is almost identical to Wraith organic technology, in the way it can heal itself and grow. The difference is that they can sustain long duration FTL without damage to the organic component, and they have shields. This could be very useful to the SGC, but also maybe for us in the future. The trail of Castell leads way out of this galaxy and could go anywhere... Apollo is the best choice for now to follow down the rabbit hole as it were, to see where it goes. As you know Matt, we are more...committed on our present course."

Like it or not, Matt understood his General's answer. "I just don't want to sit around playing minder for a week or so just because we meet a bunch of old explorers, when our attention should be focused elsewhere."

Everett could sense Matt's frustration. "I know... I want him back too."

The two of them walked through the gate.

Archmal sat with his daughter by his side on the bridge of their ship. "So Malisa, what do you think of Dr Wallace?"

She stared blankly out the bridge window as she answered. "He seems nice" she paused, "and very smart..."

Her father put out his hand and rubbed the small of her back saying, "But..."

She turned and looked straight at him. "But I don't know. I believe he will be helpful to us scientifically, but for the other purpose, I would prefer Captain Scott..."

Archmal answered as a concerned father, but also as a Royal Commander. "I understand your apprehension with Dr Wallace, but as you know there are other things to consider. We need someone who will have the genetic criteria for our purpose, not just desirable features. I am sure Captain Scott could well satisfy your needs is some ways, but we are reminded of our situation... We are unable to return to our world, and all of us are becoming older. You, as my daughter and heir, must be the one to carry on the royal bloodlines... and mate with Dr Wallace."

***N.B. Please note***

I have deliberately left out a description of these new characters, as I am sure every reader's imagination would be able to put a face of their own choosing on them. I may describe my version of them in the next chapter that is currently underway.


	31. Chapter 31

Hey, surprise! I'm back. It has been a stressful few months and limited internet, which takes away the will and motivation to write. With any luck the next 10 chapters (including this one) will come through somewhat faster than the last few have to finish the series. I am not making any promises after that, but I had always intended to do series 5. Thanks to everyone who have been reading so far, and I'll try my best to keep them coming.

PS, I still have no clue as to how this series will end...

SGU s04e11

Family

In their quarters, Amanda gave Nick a passionate embrace as she said, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Nick was anxious but knew he had to trust her. "I still think this is a very bad idea..." he said.

Mandy rested her hand gently against his face. "Destiny and I can communicate over great distances... I will be fine Nick..."

Nick didn't want to lose her ever again. "Promise me that you'll stay safe," he said with a tear in his eye.

Amanda hugged him deeply. "It's a promise...the first sign of trouble I'll let Destiny know... I love you Baby."

Nick smiled, but his mixed feelings inside were obvious. "I love you too Mandy..."

There was a knock on the door as they heard Everett's voice.

"Dr Perry, it's time..."

The door opened and Amanda stepped out to see Everett and Matt both standing there. Nick followed her out and looked straight at Matt.

"Do I need to tell you?" he said with a concerned look.

Matt nodded back saying, "I'll protect her with my life Rush, you know I will..."

* * *

><p>Eli held Ginn close to him as they sat together looking out of the observation deck window.<p>

Ginn was feeling uncomfortable and a little insecure about the current state of her body...finally she asked the question that was welling up inside her. "Eli, what is she like?"

Eli was awkward in his answer. "Um... yeah, she seems smart..." he tried not to overstate his comment.

Ginn squeezed his leg with her hand saying, "Eli... you know what I'm asking. You may be spending some time with this woman, and I want to know..." she cut her question short.

Eli took a deep breath and turned to her, placing her hands in his. "I love you, I want you, and no one else will _ever _come close to taking that from us. You are the most sexy, intelligent, loving, and _my everything..._ there is not another person in the universe that even comes close to what you mean to me..." Eli was stopped by Ginn's soft finger on his lips.

"Honey, just answer my question...well I guess you just did. She is beautiful isn't she?" said Ginn calmly with a slightly nervous grin.

Eli just nodded as Ginn's finger was still gently pressed against his lips. He spoke with her finger still in place, making him sound a little off. "Yeah... I won't lie to you, she is. But you are the person I love and that is that. She will not change any of that..."

Ginn's eyes smiled at what Eli had said, but she was still feeling very insecure. They had been through a testing time of recent, with Ginn's disclosure of her past, and she was scared of losing him. She knew he was still upset from the morning meeting, hearing that name again must have brought certain feelings back for Eli too. She calmed herself and took heed of the encounter with Lady Destiny they both shared after that tragic day.

"It's okay Eli... I trust you. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me, the same as I would not hurt you. She may be pretty Honey, but she can't make you feel like this..." she said with a simple slide of her hand upon his across her belly.

Ginn reminded Eli of the life they created between them, as Eli's heart swelled with love and joy feeling their daughter moving. They had a family on the way and there wasn't anything that would get between them...

Just off the bow of Destiny, Archmal's ship Infinite Voyage was abuzz with excitement. It had been so long since an encounter with "similar minded" humans had occurred, and the possibility of a mating gave promise of new life. Malisa was with two other women who were assisting her to look desirable. She had dressed in more seductive attire, with low cuts and accentuated curves, which were bound to get any man's attention. In amongst all the fuss, the lady at the centre of attention was feeling uneasy about her "assignment". In the short time she had spoken to Eli, her feelings were not that of desire, but more of excited anticipation to be in contact with a person of similar age and understanding. She had realised quickly that Eli was very intelligent and gifted, and being able to communicate with him about the universe and their place in it was also very alluring.

"Is everything to your liking Madam Malisa?" asked one of her aides.

Interrupting her thoughts, she kindly replied, "Yes, thank-you."

The lady placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, watching her faraway thoughts in the mirror. "I am sure Dr Wallace will treat you with respect and kindness, Madam. There is nothing to be afraid of."

Malisa smiled back in the mirror. "I'm sure he will, and I'm not afraid. Now, please leave me alone for a short span."

Her aides back away respectfully with a simple "Yes Madam", and left her alone.

Malisa watched a tear roll from the corner of her eye, and quickly dabbed it with her finger. She knew why, and that this was expected of her, but in her heart something did not sit well with her deception. What if Eli was already in love with someone? How would she find a way to mate with him if his heart was already taken? Yes, she could see how she looked, and that most men would have been attracted to her without hesitation, but _she_ had to persuade Eli regardless of her own heart's feelings _or his_! Malisa closed her eyes and meditated for a few moments to clear her head. She had a mission to progress her own species, and no way back to where they had came from. All of her reflections were cut short as her father entered the room.

"My goodness, don't you look stunning my dearest daughter. Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes father", she said with a gentle smile, hiding her true feelings.

Her father continued, "I don't need to remind you of the importance this assignment. We have no way back to our home world, and you my Dear, are the only fertile woman aboard our ship." He rubbed her shoulders as he watched her comprehend the gravity of their situation. "I know _I am_ asking too much of you with this, and Mr Wallace for that matter, but I cannot see any other way for us to survive this journey", he said solemnly.

Malisa did understand, but she _knew_ there had to be another way. Unbeknown to them was Destiny's ability to dial other galaxies, including their own home world. She stood and turned to her father, outstretching her arms and embracing him.

Archmal grinned as he felt his only child's affection and warmth, saying softly "You are in my heart too Malisa". They both turned, walking out of Malisa's suite and going to meet the arrival party at the ships vortex gate.

Amanda stepped through the event horizon and down the steps to feel the planet's soft grassy blanket beneath her. It had been a while since she had stood on any planet, as she savoured the smells of fresh air and forest. Matt followed closely behind her quickly scanning for any threats, as Everett joined him.

"All clear Sir, just us" said Matt, who was travelling light with only his pistol, radio, and a life sign scanner. "I still feel naked without my rifle, Sir", he commented.

Everett smiled "Relax Captain, this is supposed to be a peaceful mission. Besides, they would probably insist on relieving you of it anyway... Look at it this way, treat it as you would an embassy, and consider that you are on someone's sovereign soil and them on ours. Do not engage in any act of aggression, and just play nice... with any luck, we might learn something useful." Everett's next line was stopped as the gate came to life, and three people stepped out.

"Greetings General Young, are we all ready?" asked Archmal.

"Greetings Commander Havoy, yes we are", he replied with a smile.

Archmal looked at their faces and asked solemnly, "This will only happen if everyone here is sure about it, so before we continue, are there any concerns? As you know we agreed on a time of three cycles (72 hours) until return...is everyone here agreed?"

Amanda was the first to answer with a smile, "Yes I am sure..."

The rest of them agreed with her as Comm. Havoy began the dialling sequence to his ship. "I hope you don't mind us leaving first General Young" he said.

Everett smiled back, "Someone has to go first", and turned to shake Archmal's hand saying, "See you in three cycles", using Archmal's terminology.

"Don't worry General Young, I will treat them as though they were my own children, and I trust you will do the same with my daughter and Topin" replied Archmal sincerely, and then stepped through the gate.

* * *

><p>As Everett, Malisa and Topin entered into the gate room on Destiny, he gave his new guests a few moments to take in their surroundings before turning to them and saying,<p>

"Welcome to the Ancient Starship Destiny, I hope you will feel at home. Before we start our tour of the ship, I must openly inform you that you will notice sentry guards in various positions this is for everyone's protection, both yours and ours. If you need assistance, they have been instructed to give you directions and access to the ship's com system. If our ship is attacked by known or unknown forces, you also will be required to follow their instructions. They will protect you, but as you would understand, their priority is to the crew and ship. I would expect nothing less of Commander Havoy to enforce the same detail to our people. We have an understanding of never leaving our people behind, and while you are our guests aboard Destiny, this will also apply to you. Apart from the more scientific ones, are there any questions?" Everett tried to make them as comfortable as possible, but he knew giving almost free run of the ship was a calculated risk. Any new information that Amanda and Matt could collect and pass on was worth the risk if it saved lives.

Eli stepped into the gate room and stared at Malisa for a long moment and then remembered his place and nervously greeted them. Malisa smiled at him coyly and inwardly knowing she had made the impression they were seeking.

"Hello again, Dr Wallace", almost hypnotizing Eli with her words as she spoke.

Eli stuttered slightly, "Um... Hello Malisa, welcome aboard Destiny", he said as his eyes took in her every curve.

Everett coached Eli into more with a slight touch of his hand on Eli's elbow. "Um, it is Topin isn't it? Nice to have you aboard too" he managed to say awkwardly as he reached out his hand to Topin.

Topin, being aware of their plan, smiled and accepted Eli's hand shake. "A pleasure to be here Dr Wallace, I'm looking forward to seeing more of your ship." He wasn't concerned that Eli's attention was more directed at Malisa.

Everett got a call on his radio, "General, this is Dr Rush. You're assistance is required on the bridge please. Rush out."

He made his apologies and left them in Eli's company saying, "Dr Wallace will escort you to your living quarters for the next few days, please excuse me", and with that Everett left.

Eli smiled and shook his head in a vain attempt to clear his thoughts before saying, "Okay, um follow me and I'll help you get settled in" he led them from the gate room towards their rooms.

As Everett arrived on the bridge he asked in a mildly annoyed tone, "Okay Rush, what's so urgent?"

Nick ignored his tone and drew his attention to the CI screen he was standing at. "I know that Amanda has a connection to Destiny that is difficult to explain, but I was not expecting this..." Rush's voice trailed off as he tapped on the screen.

Everett looked but couldn't make sense of what he saw. "Alright, what am I looking at?" he asked.

"Amanda, well at least her neuro activity and vitals anyway", replied Nick with a tinge of excitement. "We can't hear her or what she hears but...we can see her reactions to situations that arise in real-time. Destiny must have far greater connection with her than even she realized." Nick scrolled through some more screens.

Everett put his hand on his chin and felt the slight stubble of his yesterday's shaven beard saying, "This is impressive Rush, and good for...?" he led Nick for an answer.

"Well for one, her safety. If anything was to present a critical situation we would immediately see her mind react to it." Nick continued to look at the screen.

Everett looked over to Franklin who had turned around to listen in. He shrugged his shoulders at Ev outside of Nick's gaze. "Is there anything else that would be useful from this information?" he asked quietly.

"Probably, but I am still going through the data being sent back", said Nick as he continued to read through.

Franklin got Ev's attention. "Col. Mitchell sent a transmission. He said they will be here in the next couple of hours, and that Telford was also not too far away either. Maybe we should inform our guests so they don't start shooting or something when they drop out of hyperspace." His smile hid some genuine concern about two Enterprise class war ships suddenly appearing.

"Good idea, I'll let Commander Havoy know right now. Patch me through please Chloe", asked Everett.

The conversation was greeted with some surprise from Archmal, as Everett partly explained the purpose of the meeting. Unfortunately, the explanation only led to more questions from the astute Commander, and did nothing to ease his real concerns for Malisa and Topin. Everett understood his apprehension and made the offer to shuttle his guest back to their ship, but the Commander knew he needed to give Malisa the time to make their plan work. Archmal politely but cautiously allowed things to continue, giving Malisa the time she needed.

Eli showed Topin to his quarters and gave him a crash course in how to work things like the ship's com and bathroom items. Malisa giggled as Eli did his best to politely explain what the particular facilities were and how to use them. Topin laughed and nodded explaining to Eli that some things for humans are very similar indeed. Eli and Malisa left him in his room and continued to hear his laughter as walked through the doorway.

Malisa had a big grin on her face but knew Eli was feeling a bit foolish about his attempted explanation of Destiny's "facilities".

"It's okay Dr Wallace", she said between chuckles, "we all need to use them now and then..." she placed her hand over her mouth to hide her laugh.

Eli gave in and began to laugh at his own awkwardness and said after a moment, "Eli, call me Eli. Dr Wallace sounds like someone else." He stopped at the door two rooms down from Topin's saying, "Well, here we are", and opened the door allowing Malisa in first.

She turned to him, "Are you coming in to show me around...Eli?" and turned back away from him walking into the room.

* * *

><p>Eli focused his mind on his love for Ginn and walked in allowing the door to close behind him saying, "The room is the same as Topin's so everything works the same way. Is there anything that you would like me to explain again?"<p>

Malisa thought about her plan for a moment with Eli's unintentionally leading question, but then asked a different question instead. "Tell me where you come from Eli, what is your world like?" she motioned him to sit on the bed, and then sat beside him...closely.

Eli could feel her closeness but remained focused on her question. "Um well, where do I start? It has changed so much since I left..." he pondered over the changes that Earth had gone through since disclosure.

Malisa interrupted his thoughts with another question, "How long has it been since you left?"

Eli answered quickly "Oh, a while now but I go back every few months to see friends and family. We have a scheduled contact twice a month so people can go home, see family and friends. A lot of the time I just stay here, as there is always something happening on Destiny."

Malisa's interest picked up noticeably as she asked "How far away _is your world_ Eli?"

Eli did a quick approximation in his head "Several hundred million light years I think, but our stargate can dial across galaxies so it doesn't really matter." He didn't realise the gravity of the information he had just given Malisa.

Malisa just stared at Eli in disbelief at his more than casual statement about Destiny's stargate. Eli noticed her look of amazement and asked, "Does your ships gate have that ability, I'm guessing not...yeah?"

Somewhat stunned, Malisa lost her sensual composure for a moment, opting instead for a more probing and scientific mood. "Eli... do you mean to tell me you can dial almost anywhere across galaxies?"

Eli's mind knew something had just changed in Malisa, and he was beginning to suspect a bigger motive other than just learning about each other's race and technology.

"Well we have never dialled other places out of this galaxy, apart from Earth...so I don't know for sure. We can dial our world because that is where the ship originated from, but as for other worlds in other galaxies I'm not sure. I guess we haven't had the need to and well... never tried" Eli's words sunk in slowly to Malisa, as her mind began to plot a different approach to their problem.

She placed a hand on his leg subconsciously and turned her face toward his, slowly moving closer. Eli began to move towards her but then stopped and put up his hands.

"Whoa! Um...that's not going to happen. I'm in love with someone and I can't do this to her", Eli stood up and walked to the door. "Look, you're awesomely sexy and incredibly hot, but... I can't, I'm sorry... I gotta go." Eli hit the door button and left feeling like he had just betrayed his love for Ginn.

Greer was just walking through and spotted an upset Eli heading toward him. "Hey, Eli, what's up man? Looks like someone just took a shot at ya..." he walked in front of Eli and grabbed his shoulders to stop him, then looked straight into his eyes. "Eli, what is it?"

Eli stammered, "I...I... can we keep moving?"

Greer turned to face the same direction leaving a hand on Eli's shoulder, "Sure brother..." and gently guided him down the corridor toward the directional elevator.

Malisa knocked on Topin's door and rushed in as soon as he opened it. "Have I got news for you?!" she said excitedly. Topin placed his arms around her and passionately kissed her first, before letting her continue. "They can dial out of the galaxy _and across galaxies!_ Do you know what this means for us... we could go home?!" she hugged him and dragged him over to the bed, pushing him down.

Topin was stunned by the news but had trouble focusing as he watched Malisa quickly loose her clothing and help Topin out of his. "How did you find this out Miz, did he just come out and tell you?" he asked as she settled herself semi naked on top of him.

Malisa moaned softly and continued. "Yes, he did...he just came out and told me as though it was nothing to them! He also said they use it twice a month, whatever time frame that is, I'm guessing fifteen cycles..." she sat up straight and lifted her hair, holding it up as she rocked herself forcefully against Topin. "Ohh Topy," she growled, "I'm so glad we are finally on our own again, away from the gaze of my father's spies!"

Topin was now concentrating on the beautiful younger woman who was atop of him, and not really interested in stargates at the moment. It had been so long since they had been able to make love recklessly, without prying eyes reporting their every touch to her father.

Eli found himself once again in the dome, sitting with Ronald staring at the unfamiliar star patterns.

Ron spoke first, "Okay, what happened?"

Eli kept facing forward and didn't make eye contact with him, blurting out the truth. "I nearly kissed her, and I don't know why..." he trailed off his sentence by shaking his head in disbelief.

Ron smiled and allowed his head to nod agreeing with Eli's predicament and gave a slight laughing sigh. "Yeah...I get that, she is pretty fine hey! But how'd that come about, by you or her man?"

Eli stopped staring and looked directly at Ron. "Her I think!" he heard himself say, somewhat surprised.

Ron was quick with a response, "Hey listen, from what we know, she is about twenty or thirty years younger that everyone else on that crew. Even the guy she came over with looks old enough to be her father."

Eli kept his attention on Ron, "So?"

Ron laughed, "So you're probably the youngest guy she has seen in ages, and well, someone new and exciting... and not old!" He paused for a moment allowing it to sink in. "Look man, she's a hot looking young woman and you had a slight moment of weakness, that doesn't mean you where unfaithful to Ginn... you didn't do anything, and you walked out upset. It only proves one thing."

Eli asked the obvious, "What, that I'm a fool?"

Ron shook his head dramatically, "No you goose, that you love Ginn! Otherwise, you'd still be in there if you know what I mean..." Ron grabbed Eli in a headlock and playfully knuckled his head, messing up his hair saying, "Come on little brother, let this one go...it will only lead to unwanted heartache if you don't. There are only four people that know, you, her, me, and Destiny...tell Ginn if it helps you feel better, but be prepared for how she may react. You could always get Destiny to play the recording, then she would see how you reacted and that nothing happened."

Eli flattened his hair out again with a slight revelation, "Hang on a minute, play the tape back?"

Ron looked confused, "Eli? What are you thinking?"

Eli focused on the conversation he had with Malisa. "She was all flirty when she came aboard, but when I mentioned about our stargates ability to dial Earth, her whole demeanour changed." Eli's mind was ticking over.

Ron asked quickly sensing something was up, "In what way?"

Eli looked down trying to remember, "Um, she got all scientific in her questioning, and then moved really close to me..."

Ron finished his sentence. "Like she was trying to get something more from you, scientifically?" he said with a cautious tone.

Eli's look gave Ron the answer he needed as he said. "Let's go pay my boss a visit and enlighten him as to our new guest and their possible hidden agenda..."

* * *

><p>On the bridge of Destiny, everybody's plans and scheming was about to be shaken to its core, as Chloe announced what they thought was a friend, became enemy.<p>

"General there is a wormhole opening up 10,000 kilometres to our port-side." She said in a happy tone expecting Colonel Mitchell in the Apollo 2011.

Everett didn't really raise an eyebrow as they watch the blue/green glow of the wormhole opening the distance until,

"IT'S ORI!"

Immediately Destiny was struck by the first Ori Warship blast, as her shields rose to full power. Alarms and noise came over the peacefulness of the bridge as Franklin brought Destiny's Valeyian weapons online.

Franklin said in a factual tone, "General, the anti Ori weapon is online and targeted to their ship..."

Everett hesitated, "Hold fire, we don't know if he is on that ship!"

Chloe interrupted, "General, two more wormholes are opening, one below one above us!" There was more panic than calm in Chloe's voice this time.

Nick threw another curve ball into the mix. "Everett, what about Havoy's ship, if he fires they will turn and attack him..."

Chloe's voice sounded fearful this time as she yelled clearly, "They're both Ori!"

Everett and his crew were now faced with the toughest decision. Destroy the Ori ships and possibly Castell in the process, or protect Havoy's ship which would surely be under threat within moments.

"Rush, can we extend Destiny's shields to protect his ship?" asked Everett quickly.

He answered in part, "Working on it, Chloe jump us directly above his ship on my mark."

Chloe quickly logged the coordinates in her mind to Destiny and waited for Nick's call.

Franklin called out, "Havoy's firing on the Ori! One is breaking off to engage!"

"Chloe now!" yelled Rush.

Destiny lurched forward at full sublight speed, arriving above Havoy's ship as the Ori's first beam weapon fired. Chloe pitched Destiny forward across the bow of Infinite Voyage just in time to absorb the blast as Nick worked frantically to expand the shields. He powered up the expansion within seconds, but not before another blast from the Ori cracked through Infinite's shields, and penetrated her hull. Everett called out to hail Havoy as Eli and Greer stepped through the door into the chaos around them. The Ori ships continued to fire at will to no avail, as the mood on Destiny's bridge settled down under the life saving Valeyian shield technology.

Havoy answered on screen, showing the damage of the blast in the background. "What in Spirit's name!" he tried to focus and calm himself before continuing, "Are they the Ori we have heard so much about? I take it they are not who you were expecting!" his harsh tone apparent for the concern of his crew.

Everett ignored the comment replying swiftly, "We have expanded our shields around you so don't try to move. Yes they are the Ori, and I don't have time to explain. They have a friend of ours captive, so although we can destroy their ships, we don't know if he is on one of them. The other issue is blast radius...our shields cannot protect us from the magnitude of the explosion at close range."

As Everett continued to explain things to Havoy, Nick and Eli watched Destiny's power consumption slowly draining under the extra draw of the expanded shield.

Eli said, "We don't have the time to wait for the other ships to get here. At this rate, in an hour or so we won't have enough shields left for ourselves, let alone them" he stated factually.

Everett had finished talking to Havoy as Nick grabbed his attention. "Ev, you need to work out which ship he isn't on and take it out...if we don't increase or odds, in an hour there will be nothing left to save!"

Everett sat down and closed his eyes, focusing on Castell. After a moment or so he opened them and shook his head in frustration saying, "I can't make heads or tails of it, the Prior must have some kind of hold on his mind." He looked up and said abruptly to everyone on the bridge, "Suggestions?"

Greer spoke first. "Sir, what about sending out the 302's to slow them down? We know several fighters can destroy their shields and do some serious damage to the ship."

Everett thought this through for a moment then replied, "They will counter that with their own fighters, making it difficult for ours to stay on target. If I were them, I'd send out swarms of em'..."

Rush made a point, backed up by Eli. "Ev, if we fire on the Ori, I can't say that our shield will hold out from the epic energy wave created by the blast. And in our current position protecting Havoy's ship, we can't jump to FTL either..."

Everett looked at both Eli and Nick as they backed each other's findings.

Chloe spoke up, "There must be something we can do to fight back. We have all this technology and power, how can we not have a way to use it without destroying ourselves or the other ship?" a simple statement with far reaching consequences.

Eli snapped his fingers in excitement of the idea that fluttered in his head. "I got it! We move both ships simultaneously into FTL on the one set of co-ordinance. All we need to do is get Destiny connected to Infinite Voyage's systems, command her from here, and tag along with our jump. Simple!" his excitement was short lived.

Nick put forward what Everett was thinking. "Eli, there is only one catch if it works...you have to ask Commander Havoy for complete control over his ship's flight systems. How would you feel if that was asked of us?" there was good reason in his question.

Everett listened and added, "If this was to work, what if we asked Havoy to be on the bridge here, and have some control over his own ship? Would that be possible?" He waited for the answer that never came.

* * *

><p>Nick looked around the bridge to everyone, "Well? Any other issues?" he asked.<p>

Chloe could feel Destiny "thinking" about the same issue as she said, "We need to lock the ships together in order to jump. Destiny has sensed that the FTL drive on Havoy's ship was damaged in the blast. We need to contact him again and work this out!" she began to set the jump distance in Destiny's navigation system, and contacted Havoy. "We will only be able to make a small jump, one or two parsecs at most, patching you through General."

Eli added to that, "The power drain will be tremendous to Destiny, but there is a star about 8 light years away we can refuel on" he went back to his CI screen.

Everett watched the screen as Havoy's face took centre. "Commander, what's your flight situation?"

Archmal's concerned looks said it all, "We are down to two backup generators, our FTL drive is off-line and a bunch of other critical systems are ineffective. Your shields are the only thing keeping us alive, but I have to ask, why won't you fire back? Surely you can do some damage without destroying them completely?"

Everett could see his frustration and understood. "The only effective weapon we have would destroy both of us too, other than that we are just wasting what power we have left. We have a solution if you'll hear me out..."

Havoy just looked annoyed. "Well we've got nowhere else to be!"

Everett got Eli to explain. "Commander, we can connect the ships and jump to FTL for a short distance, where at least the Ori won't be able to track us. But I have to ask your permission for Destiny to take over control of your navigation systems so we jump as if it was one ship. I know that is a lot to ask of you, but we can't see any other way out of this!" Eli was very genuine in his question and Archmal could see it.

Commander Havoy looked over to his number one who nodded in agreeance, and after a moment to think he replied, "Very well Dr Wallace, what do you need from us?"

Eli looked at Nick who nodded his okay, before saying, "I'm sending you a data file to upload into your navigation system. If you need help ask Dr Perry to assist you, as she will understand our side of it."

Archmal shook his head saying, "She is assisting with our injured, helping medical personal treat them. Some of your medical technology is far advanced on ours, so please, guide my navigator through it..." he handed the com to his flight navigator.

Nick smiled inwardly hearing what Mandy was doing, _that's my girl, _he thought and knew she would do her best to save them regardless of her own situation.

It wasn't long before Eli and Nick explained their way through the connection, as Chloe confirmed Destiny's integration with the alien ship. Nick had also launched Destiny's magnetic grappling system to hold onto Infinite Voyage for the initial jump and hoped that the shields would also act as a type of tractor beam to hold the two ship together while in FTL.

Everett asked the final question with Archmal still on screen. "Are we go, people?"

The word filtered through from everyone there, with Eli finally stating, "All systems online General."

Everett looked at Archmal on the screen who nodded his okay, before he said the final word...

"Chloe, make the jump!"


	32. Chapter 32

SGU s04 e12

Family pt. 2

Nick watched the CI screen as Destiny's FTL drive laboured under the strain of towing a second ship. Temperatures were rising steadily, as power consumption followed a steeper trend upwards.

Finally needing an answer he asked, "Chloe, how much longer? She's getting hot and we're draining power fast."

She tapped away at her controls saying, "We can only reach 9.98 Ly/hour, we need to hang on for another 40 minutes, give or take a couple..." she went back to concentrating on flying the ship.

Eli stared at Nick who just shook his head and cursed before saying back to him, "Eli, cut off all non essential systems where ever you can find them. We need every drop of juice we can get or we are not going to make it lad!"

Everett listened in and quickly made an announcement throughout the ship. "All personnel, may I have your attention. We are cutting all non essential power requirements to the entire ship in two minutes. You have until that time to get to a safe area or in your own quarters...three, two, and one, mark!"

The crew scurried out from their stations and gathered in central areas or returned to quarters. Two minutes was up fast as Eli was given the nod by Everett to begin shutting down the systems.

Everett then asked Rush where Destiny stood. "How much longer will that give us?"

Nick answered in typical style, "Not enough... the power drain is far more than we calculated. We may get another 3 or 4 light years, but by then we will have to drop out of FTL and dump their ship, so we have enough power to get to the star and refuel. Yes I know they will be vulnerable without our shields, but what choice have we got...we can't run out of gas either..."

* * *

><p>Deep within another galaxy controlled by the Ori, Prior Genesis sat on the throne in his ship immersed in flames. He stood and walked through them as his disciple prior bowed down and apologized for disturbing him.<p>

"What is it now, has he broken?" Genesis snapped at the bowing prior before pointing at him. "Rise up and face me!" he retorted.

"My Lord Genesis, his mind is strong and yet to fall, but I bring other news from _his galaxy_..." was the feeble reply from the now standing Prior.

Genesis began to smile, "Other news? What could there possibly be that I do not know about?"

"My Lord, a spy is now aboard Destiny, which has survived your glorious attack as you had planned. Of course, none of our ships fell during the attack as you predicted... they seemed hesitant to fire back, however another ship of unknown origin began to fire in their defence. We returned fire, but Destiny covered them by expanding their shields, taking our final destructive blast. We believe the other ship was damaged but the extent is unknown." He bowed slightly again to Genesis.

Genesis placed a hand on his shoulder and forcefully pushed him down onto one knee saying calmly, "Why did you fail to destroy this "other" ship, it was not included in my plan and should have been annihilated immediately!" he allowed the words to rip through the prior's soul so he wouldn't forget who his lord was.

Under the strain of the Ori power, the prior tried to repent for his short comings. "Lord Genesis, we have tracked their jump into hyperspace and believe they will come out near a star close by. It would require massive amounts of power to tow the second ship into FTL flight." Genesis removed the pressure and allowed him to remain on one knee before him, as he listened to the prior's plan. "We will surprise them at the star, as one of our warships detected that Destiny needed to recharge soon."

Genesis allowed the prior to stand and turned away from him. "Surprise them at the star as they recharge you say? Do you believe they might have thought of that and dropped the other ship off before recharging?"

"Yes my Lord Genesis...and we have several fleet ships scanning the nearby systems for any signs of them" he replied more confidently.

Genesis remained with his back turned, but began to twist his head down to the right, ready to spin around. "And what of the Earth ship with the Ark onboard, have you found a way to locate them yet?"

The prior's earlier confidence deserted him as he knew the answer would anger Genesis. "My Lord, their technology is difficult to...understand, and tracking them has eluded us thus far..." the prior suddenly gasped, then felt as though someone's hands were around his neck and beginning to squeeze. His vocals stopped as the pressure began to build.

Genesis spun around on one foot, with an outstretched arm. His hand was shaped as though it were around the prior's neck, as he began to slowly close his fingers together, and in a low growling voice he reiterated, "Their technology is _my technology!_ It is from my world! They are not the masters of this...I am!" It was more of a scare tactic than a truth, being that the technology in question belonged to the Ursini and Asgard.

The prior was now a foot off the deck, being held by nothing but the power of the Ori. His arms dangled uselessly by his side until Genesis finally released his near limp body, allowing him to fall crumpled, against the hard steel decking.

Genesis walked over to the damaged prior and knelt down quietly beside him, whispering, "Find the Earth ship with the ark. As for Destiny and her crew, no more games...annihilate them on sight. Use the beaming technology we gained from the Porta Galassie to go through their shields and destroy it from the inside out. Our spy onboard will die for the glory of Origin... or you will suffer my wrath and burn!" Genesis stood and walked back to his throne of flames saying with the flick of his hand, "Be gone!"

Two Ori guards quickly entered and dragged the prior out of the room.

Back on Destiny, decisions needed to be made.

Everett got Havoy back on screen. "Commander Havoy, we need to make a decision as to how far we can carry your ship. We are draining power faster than our best predictions had, and we will not be able to continue in FTL much longer. What is your current position with repairs?"

Archmal looked seriously at the screen in front of him before replying, "We have been able to get emergency shielding systems active which will give us about 20% of our normal capacity, of course we haven't initiated them while in our current situation. I have navigation and sublight engine systems working, but it will be some time before our FTL drive is healed enough to run. Some of the organic components take longer to rewire themselves. Life support is at 90% and holding steady, but I have lost three of my crew in the blast. Your people are fine, and assisting us where they can... how is Malisa and Topin?" His description came through fast.

Everett nodded, "They're fine and are with our crew on the observation deck. We have another issue about our situation..." he continued to explain. "We will run out of power before we reach the star at this rate. Our plan is to drop you off around a red dwarf system until we can recharge and get back. Do you still have weapon capabilities?"

A sly smile crossed Archmal's face as he replied, "Better than that, our cover systems are still active..." Everett gave him a confused look, so he clarified it. "We can hide the ship in plain sight...undetectable."

Everett nodded his understanding, "Oh, yeah... cloaking device, very handy" he said smiling back, and wishing Destiny had the same.

Nick interrupted his thoughts, "General, we need to do this fast. Power is down to fifteen percent...once under ten, a fail-safe will drop us both from FTL, allowing enough reserve to reach the star..."

Eli cut in saying, "There's a red dwarf star with a planet system just under a light year from here, I have sent Chloe the co-ordinates... and we should reach it in about 5 minutes."

Commander Havoy was listening to the conversation as it unfolded and asked, "What if they have tracked us and are lying in wait?"

Everett returned another question, "Depends on how long your ship takes to cloak... if it is fast, they won't have time to scan for you anyway. Our plan is to detach you, and for us to re-enter FTL immediately not giving them any time for attack. They are smart and have very clear powers of perception, so there is every chance they will be waiting for us anyway. As long as you cloak the instant the shield goes down, hopefully all will go well."

The commander nodded with a smile. "We've made it this far on our own so I cannot see why it won't work to our advantage. Once our "cloak" as you call it comes up, we will be without shields. As you probably understand, one can't work with the other." Havoy gave a small sigh then added, "And thank you, for protecting our ship...whatever the reason." It had been a rough journey for the Commander, and his eighty odd years was starting to show in his expressions.

Everett smiled back at the screen image saying, "Would have done it regardless... get ready to cloak..."

Chloe answered the next question abruptly. "We are dropping from FTL in 10, 9, 8," and continued the countdown until Destiny with her extra cargo launched back into normal space from FTL.

The infinite Voyage became invisible within an instant, disappearing into the blackness of space. Destiny jumped back into FTL after a moment of recalibrating from Dr Rush and Eli to override the cool down protocols.

Chloe was worried. "I don't think Destiny liked that idea, she feels a bit sluggish in her navigation...but her FTL speed is normal."

Everett gave an unofficial order to Eli, "Reinstate all systems please Eli, and get Havoy's daughter up here so we can explain what's happening."

Eli looked over to Greer who had sat at one of the vacant CI terminals, waiting to help with something that may have involved shooting at someone. Ron gave him a nod to tell Everett the reason they had come to the bridge in the first place.

Eli walked to Everett and said quietly, "Um Ev, there's something I need to tell you about Malisa..."

* * *

><p>The two men stepped out of the bridge followed closely by Greer.<p>

Everett started, "Okay Eli, what is it?"

Eli got straight to the point. "Well she seemed to be more interested in me than anything about the ship. But when I mentioned about our stargate being able to dial out of the galaxy, her whole body language changed..."

The General raised an eyebrow asking, "Changed... in what way?"

Greer prompted Eli who was reluctant to continue, but finally said, "Um... she seemed to hit on me more after I said it." Eli tried to hold his emotions back but a tear from the corner of his eye was giving his hurt away. "Like she was trying to...to butter me up or something, I don't know..." he trailed off somewhat agitated.

Everett looked to his sergeant for his opinion of the situation. "What do you make of it?"

Greer replied with his theory. "Eli is young and the rest of her crew are all old enough to be her parents, so hitting on a younger man is kinda expected. But the timing suggests a different version. Look at them...they must have been on the ship for nearly her lifetime. That would only mean one thing..."

Everett finished the sentence for him, "Their gate can't dial out past a certain point more like a normal one, or they don't have the power requirements..."

Greer agreed, "Yeah, and they're looking for a way back..."

Eli added, "But there was something else about her, but hidden. I can't explain it, just a feeling."

This time both Everett and Ron looked at Eli with some concern, before Everett asked, "Bad I assume?"

Eli put his hands to his face and cringed a little before answering. "I'm not sure, but I got a feeling of something personal..." he struggled to pin point what it was. "Just something about the way she acted... it was all just strange" he finished off.

Everett smiled at Eli, "Don't lose sleep over it Eli... I'm sure all will come out in the end. As for now, we should entertain our guests, Dr Wallace." He gave Eli a reassuring pat on the side of his upper arm.

As Eli took Malisa and Topin on a tour of the ship, he explained what had transpired with the Ori encounter and her father's ship. Malisa knew the systems better than anyone, and understood that as long as the cloak stay in place, they would be safe until Destiny could return to them.

Back on the bridge communications were received from the Apollo 2011 with an update of the situation causing Colonel Mitchell major concern.

Cameron had some new information at hand as well. "We have some reports that they are in an Ori controlled galaxy somewhere closer to the Valeyian Galaxy. Dr Jackson and Sága were able to finetune our sensors and track the signal about an hour ago. They also picked up a super gate just outside of the galaxy you're in. The tracking signal you guys found only led us part of the way, but we followed a pattern which suggested they were returning home through the stargate. It makes sense to go back to a strong hold. There's a real chance they will be waiting for you when you drop from FTL, so what's your status?"

Having returned to the bridge in time for Cameron's communication, Everett got a quick update from his crew sharing the line with Cameron. "Are we still on target for the star?" he asked in general to everyone.

Nick answered quickly, "Actually there has been a slight change in plan. The star in question would be the closest, but we have all agreed that it would also be the most likely target area. We have found an alternative, given we still have ample power left to reach it. There is no reason why we would have to recharge in the next month or so with our current stable levels, however under Ori attack it would become a problem..." he smiled at Everett, teasing him somewhat.

Everett didn't see the funny side of it saying, "Get to the point Rush, what's the new plan?"

Franklin took over. "General, we have found another blue/white star about twelve light years from our position. Given our new shield technology, it shouldn't be an issue to refuel on it. Another advantage will be the sheer size and magnetic forces which should disrupt any attempt by the Ori to track us, or fire on us that close in. The same is true for us as a down side, and with the temperature around 18,000 Kelvin, skimming the outer corona needs to be an efficient run with full shields and blast shields up. Effectively, we will be blind for the few seconds it takes to recharge."

Everett wasn't sure about this one. "This didn't go so well last time we used a blue star, is the dome going to survive it?"

Nick answered this time. "They installed a protective screen in every segment so we can close it off if need too... we just haven't needed to use it yet. The shields should take the blunt of it anyway, but I would recommend we get all personnel into centralised areas of the ship for more protection, just in case."

Everett thought for a moment, and then said "Okay. Let everyone know what's going on, but not where and when. Just keep it to using a hotter star than usual and don't elaborate too much, I don't want to cause another panic, understood Rush?"

Nick smiled and winked, "Aye, Aye Captain, she'll hold together..." his cheeky accented comment sounding more like Mr Scott.

Everett shook his head and left the bridge.

* * *

><p>After the short span of chaos from the Ori warships, the people aboard Destiny were returning to some form of daily life. So much had happened in the last twenty four hours that Everett had forgotten there were still a reporter and cameraman from Earth aboard, waiting to be transferred to the Apollo 2011. They had kept themselves busy making a short documentary about life on a starship, with whoever would give them the time. They were informed that the Apollo would arrive soon and transport them from Destiny. Eli had found Malisa and Topin, bringing them to the mess for some food. They ended up at sharing a table with Camille, Vanessa, and TJ, who were also having some lunch in the mess.<p>

TJ was asking Eli, "So how long does Ginn have to go Eli?"

Eli couldn't hide the smile from his face. "Soon I think, only a matter of weeks now," he replied relaxed in the thought.

Malisa's interest picked up, but she remained unobtrusive to the conversation unfolding around her.

Camille then began to tease Eli cheekily, "Your gona be a dad-dy..." and began to laugh along with him and the others.

Now Malisa's interest peaked, and showed in her somewhat uncomfortable movement in the seat, before she openly asked, "Are you with child Eli?"

Eli was a little uncertain how to act, but just remained cool and spoke the truth. "Yes, my partner Ginn is pregnant, we're having a little girl..." he made a half smile at her.

She returned the smile saying, "You must be very proud, Eli..." but her smile was short lived, as she felt her plans for Eli shatter.

Although Topin was aware of the overall plan, he began to fully realise the position his commander had put his own daughter in. Having a fling and hoping to get pregnant without the knowledge of the "father" was one thing, but to initiate that with a man who is in love played on his own sense on moral decency. Topin suddenly found his self racked with guilt, and some jealousy toward what was unfolding. This was only compounded by his own feelings of love toward Malisa. He quickly excused himself from the table, making straight to the nearby "facilities" to avoid suspicion.

The enormity of Malisa's fear of failure began to show as a tear in her eye, something that TJ quickly noticed.

"Malisa, are you okay?" TJ asked softly.

She realised her tear gave something away, as Malisa quickly blinked and made out that everything was fine by saying, "Yes...I just felt something touch my eye, it may have been a stray eyelash."

TJ had been watching her body language and knew something else was the real problem, and she insisted on having a quick look at Malisa's eye in the infirmary, hoping for a chance to dig deeper.

TJ said, "Well just to be certain, come with me to the infirmary and I'll take a look. I can also show you some of our medical technologies that may be able assist your people", trying to put a different spin on it.

Malisa decided to concede so as to not raise any suspicion to her real motives, even if they had appeared to fail. "Yes, that would be the reason we are here, to learn new things about each other." She smiled and followed TJ back to the infirmary.

On board the Infinite Voyage, Amanda and Matt had been run off their feet attending to casualties and the damage caused by the attack. Amanda's unexplainable link to Destiny was a gift in her ability to assist the injured so readily, while teaching the ships own medical staff some different techniques. She had found that some of their understanding of human medical practices was thirty to forty years behind the Earth standard of today, and most about the same.

Matt found himself more useful assisting with the ships repair. He had struck up a conversation with one of the ships flight engineers called Latar (La-tar), while helping to repair damaged FTL drive systems.

Latar had his head under a console unit in the FTL drive bay, with Matt at the rather 1960's looking controls. "Try that..." he said to Matt.

Matt pressed several buttons in sequence and rotated a dial. An electrical "pop" crackled from under the console, as Latar was thrown out from underneath.

Matt felt bad watching, but it had looked funny as he tried hard not to laugh while Latar shook himself off. "Sorry Latar..."

Latar put up his hand to Matt, "No Captain Scott, it's fine...my own fault. I touched the wrong crystals together. Damn all this mess, if it wasn't for that damn sun exploding we would still have our full power systems!"

Matt was intrigued by his comment questioning, "Sun exploding?"

Latar was still feeling a little jittery from the small electrical belt he had just received and thought a rest was in order anyway. "Yes, sun exploding...we call it a supernova when a star explodes. We were just in the wrong quadrant at the wrong time and were caught in the beginning of the explosion. Unknown to us at the time, we were...um... effectively time shifted by the gravitational disruption, and launched about 2000 orbits into our future. Since then, we have been unable to dial back our planet for a couple of reasons." He breathed a deep sigh as he collected himself and stood up.

To Matt, this seemed like serious information that was probably not meant for his ears, but he persisted to gain as much knowledge about it as Latar would allow him to have. "So, can I ask what the reasons are?"

Latar collected his thoughts before answering. "Um...what was I saying? Oh yes... Well firstly, we have been unable to restore full power to our Vortex gate, due to the damaged sustained in the explosion. Our power storage capacity was reduced by nearly 45%. Of course to initiate across galaxies, we need at least 80% to establish the connection, but very little once it is active. This leaves us with close planet connection only, and no real way to make it back home." His mind appeared to be more focused on the issue at hand as he spoke.

Matt asked again, "What's the other issue?"

Latar smiled as he got down and began to crawl back under the console. "2000 orbits is a guess...we don't even know if our gate on the planet is still there, let alone the planet itself... Now be a good lad and try that again", his slightly muffled voice coming from under the console.

Matt went through the well rehearsed sequence with better results this time, as the console sprang to life with a winding up sound. "Alright, back online!" Matt said happily.

Latar played with the settings and smiled at Matt saying in a cheeky tone, "Well done Captain Scott, we'll make an engineer of you yet..." He called the bridge, "Commander, we have our FTL drive back up and ready."

* * *

><p>Some distance away, Destiny was ready to drop from FTL and refuel. There was a general announcement made to everyone to move into deeper protected areas of the ship, but everyone on the bridge was confident the Valeyian shields would hold up fine. The blur of Destiny leaving FTL came over the ship around 3 AU* from the great star. Even though they were nearly 3 times the Earth's distance to our sun, the staggering amount of energy and light given off was already noticeably affecting Destiny's shields.<p>

Rush barked the order, "All blast shields up!" and for the first time, the newly installed screens for the dome rolled over and blocked out the searing heat.

Destiny automatically deployed her collectors, and set a path toward the star at full sub light speed. From the outside, the ship would have appeared to behave like a meteor with a long streak tail and glowing front, burning up in the outer atmosphere.

She was burning alright, as Franklin pointed out "Where still 100 million kilometres away, and at 5000 Kelvin!" as the ride became rough and noisy.

Nick yelled back over the noise, "Shields at 98% and holding steady... if they fail, we won't even have time to realise it!" he watched as Destiny had already begun taking on energy some 50 million kilometres out. "Come on baby, hold together..." he said quietly to himself.

Chloe closed her eyes and became one with the ship saying aloud, "Entering the corona in 3, 2, and 1", as she slowed Destiny down slightly allowing more time for collection.

Nick yelled out, "That's it...get us out of here Chloe!"

She banked Destiny hard to starboard and climbed at maximum sublight speed away from the enormous gravitational pull of the star. She could feel the strain on her engines but knew they had to put some distance between themselves and the star before engaging the FTL drive. The shaking stopped and the noise dissipated as Destiny got further away from the stars influence.

Nick gave the all clear. "Full tank of gas, shields returned to 60% and steady... all systems functioning as normal."

Franklin confirmed his findings, "Life support is optimum, and it's a balmy 300 Kevin outside. All long range sensors are back online. Hit it Chloe..." he said with a smile.

In a blur they headed back to the Infinite Voyage.

Te'arly entered the infirmary with Hadrian in her arms. "Hello Tamara, it is time for his weigh in", she said playfully as she looked at his beautiful little sleepy face. She looked to Malisa, who was somewhat shocked at the sight. "Hello, I'm Te'arly...and this is little Hadrian", she said softly.

Malisa had never seen a baby up close like this, only in pictures. He father had been very protective of her, not allowing her much access off the ship. Her next thought of trying to make one of these tiny humans sent her reeling into uncertainty. "I'm Malisa..." was all she could stammer.

TJ began to smile broadly as Te'arly handed over her baby for Tamara to examine. "Come here you little cutie", she babbled holding him close to her.

Malisa turned around quickly and made for the door, only to find it locked. As she struggled to open it, Te'arly came over concerned for her actions. "Malisa..." she said gently, "What is wrong?"

Malisa began to cry uncontrollably, and turning toward Te'arly, she slid down to the floor. The sight of this innocent baby had tipped her over the edge with emotion...she crumbled to the floor.

Immediately Te'arly's first action was to comfort her, and without any hesitation she held Malisa to her and gently stroked her long hair like a child, speaking softly to her "It will okay sweetie, whatever it is we will work it out..."

Te'arly's beautiful nature made Malisa feel safe, and for the first time in her life she began to trust a complete stranger. Her sobbing subsided as she finally let out her pain. "I have been stuck on that horrid ship for so long, and then my father sends me somewhere to try and breed!"

TJ face turned to shock, but Te'arly, allowed the comment to pass and gave no emotional reaction. She simply asked, "Is that what he had asked you to do when you came aboard?"

Malisa nodded as she sniffled, blurting out the truth, "With Eli..." and began to sob again.

TJ put her hand across her own mouth out of complete shock, not knowing what to say. Her mind was now screaming to call Everett. Varro had been in an adjoining room going over some files, and had looked out into the medical room, spotting TJ's reaction.

He was soon standing next to TJ, and weighing up the scene, asking quietly, "What's going on here...is everything alright?"

TJ turned to him "She was sent here to um..." she paused looking for the right words, "um to have an affair with Eli" she replied quietly. "I think it may have been too get pregnant..." the response was in Varro's face, no words needed.

Te'arly was making headway with Malisa and quickly asked TJ to look after Hadrian for a short time, while her and Malisa talked. TJ suggested using one of the side rooms, knowing that Te'arly would find the underlying cause of what this was all about.

Te'arly helped her into the room and allowed her sometime to settle before asking, "It was Hadrian that set you off wasn't it? He has a way of making adults see life in different ways."

Malisa confessed, "I have never seen a real baby before, only in pictures."

Te'arly smiled warmly...if she was shocked, she didn't show it at all. "I can understand being stuck on a ship all the time, and how it limits what you see and experience. I'm sorry to have to ask this, but can you tell me more about why you were sent here?" Te'arly could tell by Malisa's attire that she was set to seduce.

Malisa felt as though she could trust this woman she knew nothing of... there was a sense of peace with her she had never experienced before, so she told Te'arly everything in the hope that something good would come from it.

"We had a problem on the ship when I was just a child... it was caught in a supernova explosion. After that time we lost the ability to contact outside of whatever galaxy we were in, and the radiation caused everyone to become sterile. We also believe that the gravitational forces time warped us about 2000 orbits ahead of our normal timeline. As I was so young, my Mother had me in our room at the time, which was double insulated from the radiation as a safe guard when the ship was built. I am now the only person onboard that still has a working reproductive system, which is why I was sent here. My Father wanted me to mate with a smart scientist mainly for the gene pool, and hopefully that any offspring would have the ability to one day correct what is wrong with our ship. So, as I said, we are stuck travelling forward, as they made a decision to go ahead rather than try and return home."

Te'arly took in all that she had just told her, and made a decision to help. "Well, I have to say that anything with Eli is out of the question, but as for trying to get home... we might be able to help you with that, at least in part."

Malisa's eyes began to widen, "Really? You would help asking nothing in return?"

Te'arly put her hand over Malisa's, "Yes...really. I want you to stay here with TJ and Varro, while I go and sort this out." She walked out of the room and very quickly explained what transpired to TJ, asking to watch her...and introduce her to Hadrian.

Finding Everett in their quarters, she sat down beside him, with his instant question, "Where's Hadrian?"

"He is with TJ and Varro my love, however I do have a more pressing concern and I need you to listen carefully." Te'arly explained Malisa's situation.

Everett didn't hesitate in making a decision. "That does tie in with what Matt said to Amanda. She also found medical records to the same affect. I wondered why Havoy was so interested in Eli, so now what Eli told me makes perfect sense too. I'll come down to the infirmary and let her know all is okay."

Te'arly gave him a very passionate kiss, finally saying "I knew you would understand my love..."

Everett cuddled her "Honey we have way bigger problems to deal with while the Ori are around, this is only a minor issue."

* * *

><p>Malisa stood in front of Destiny's stargate joined by her father, with Topin by her side. Everett, Te'arly, Eli, Amanda, and Matt stood to the side as Nick dialled the gate to their homeworld, and established a stable connection.<p>

"The worm hole is stable, begin transmission" Nick said after a pause.

It took Havoy some time to convince his people who they were, until they found the ships old pass codes in their systems. It had been nearly 2200 years that the gravitational shift had drifted them into the future, and the technology from his planet had advanced to an incredible state. Finally he was asked if they would like to come home, and after a quick look to his daughter, it was a resounding "Yes!" Within an hour, the crew had evacuated the Infinite Voyage, and taken all of the data collected along their journey.

As they began to walk through the gate Havoy stood beside Everett and Eli saying, "Dr Wallace, I am sorry for trying to deceive you, when all your people have done is to assist us. I feel very ashamed for my actions."

Eli gave a smile and a hand shake to him, "Hey well, if I was single it would have been a different story maybe..." Everett gave him a look, "Or maybe not. I'm glad it all worked out. Oh, and thanks for the data about your ship, it will be really helpful to us."

As he continued to apologise to Everett, Malisa watch Topin walk through the gate, then turned to Eli and hugged him saying, "I'm so sorry Eli... you are an amazing man" she kissed him softly on the cheek, "You will be an amazing father..." She looked over to Te'arly, who was watching in the background and mimed the words "Thank you..." Te'arly smiled broadly back and nodded.

Malisa waited for her father to be ready as Eli asked one last question, "What is happening to your ship?"

Havoy smiled, "They're sending a deep space salvage crew to collect it. The ship will remain cloaked until they arrive and signal it. I believe they want to display it to our world. Good bye...Eli."

With that, both father and daughter held hands as they walked through the watery blue...

Note: AU* Astronomical Unit (approximately 149.6 million km)


	33. Chapter 33

Hi, this one will remind you of "Cloverdale"... hard not to in some ways. Enjoy

SGU s04 e13

Chloe

Six weeks had passed since the crew of the Infinite Voyage had returned home. The Apollo 2011 had turned up several hours later and relieved Destiny of the reporter and cameraman, but had no new news on Castell's whereabouts. Destiny had returned to her original mission, continuing to search for intelligence about Castell wherever they visited. For the last few days, the crew was focused on happier things, namingly Matt and Chloe's wedding.

Everett had returned to Earth with his new family and was currently at a meeting with the IOC and SGC, at the Pentagon.

After the meeting, Everett was introduced to the new IOC member of the Intergalactic Alliance (IGA), Dr Jason Shinseki. He was a Japanese Diplomat heavily involved with the International Space Station project, and had held a lead position in charge of top secret Alien technologies research before disclosure.

Everett smiled at his old friend, "Jack, good to see you again. Seems as though retirement doesn't suit you..."

Ret. Gen. O'Neill shook his hand with a firm grip, "At least I'm not stuck on a ship halfway across the universe... although I do miss it sometimes", he said reflectively. "This is Dr Jason Shinseki, the IOC's sitting member on the IGA, my counterpart."

Everett shook hands with Jason who said, "It's an honour to meet you General Young, I hope we have some time after this to sit down and talk."

Always sceptical of the IOC, Ev wasn't sure what this would involve and gave a quick glance to Jack, who in turn gave a slight nod of approval. "Pleasure to meet you Dr Shinseki, I will try and make some time."

Everett turned his attention back to Jack and knew something was up saying, "Something on your mind, Jack?"

Jack just got straight to it. "We need you to sit in on this meeting..." Everett asked why without words, so Jack continued. "I don't know, but even if I did I can't tell you. All we know is that _they_ want to talk to you in person, and _she_ will be there also", he always had a way with words.

Everett asked, "Which she?"

Jack gave his one word answer, "Freya..."

* * *

><p>A duty Sergeant quickly called for the three men to enter the meeting, watching as the men turned, making their way to the very large mahogany table in the centre of the room. It reminded Everett of a movie theatre with long curtains all around the room, a dark shade of blue, and several flags displayed. A small grey triangular intercom looking box in the centre of the table appeared to be of Asgard design.<p>

They were the only ones in the room as Jack looked at his watch and said aloud, "Three, two, and one..." with that beams of light appeared behind the seating positions in the room.

Everett whispered to Jack, "They love a dramatic entrance don't they?"

The council took their seats as Freya remained standing ready to address everyone. "It is nice to see you again General Young. I trust all is well with your new addition on Destiny?" Her genuine smile surprised Ev, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Yes, Hadrian and his mother are doing well, thank you." After the last time they met, he had a bad feeling what was to come next.

Freya continued straight to the point. "General Young, we understand that you have undergone special training on Valeya which warrants you with extra abilities. Is this correct?"

Unsure of where this was going, even though he may have been able to predict it, he could not advance his own reaction or answers. "Yes that is correct. Valhalla has trained me in the use of the gift that Castell instilled in me before being taken."

Freya seemed more compassionate this time, which only made Everett more suspicious of her questions as she answered, "You have the gift of seeing the future or past then?"

He answered cautiously, remembering Valhalla's guidelines on its use. "To an extent, as long as it is used with compassion and wisdom, that was the teaching."

"Can I ask you then General Young, in the time you have come back from the planet, why have you been unable to locate Castell, or the Ori?" asked Freya.

Everett just answered honestly. "I have tried to make a connection with him every day..." he closed his eyes and tried to explain what he could, "I can sense his life force, but not connect to his mind for very long, only moments. It was the same when both Valhalla and I tried to break through to him while on Valeya. His abilities are being suppressed by the collective power of the Ori, so unless we can in some ways drain their power, it will be difficult to connect with him." Like it or not, Everett didn't need ESP to tell him what was coming next...it was obvious to everyone there.

Freya looked at the beings seated around the table, and gave an uncharacteristic sigh. "I am truly sorry to say this Everett, but we cannot afford to keep sending ships across the universe, looking for one individual. Our efforts need to remain on tracking and removing the Ori from those beings and planets that come under their renewed threat."

Everett slumped back into his chair, heartbroken. Even more evident was the subdued tear from the corner of this decent man's eye. Freya herself showed sadness at the harsh decision they had come to.

The lights suddenly flashed in the room as Everett stood up and moved out of his chair, his heartache turning to fierce anger. Before he launched into a rage, someone else made a startling entrance from nowhere, and stood beside him.

Lady Destiny took on human form, from a ghost like figure and spoke. "I will not allow this action to proceed. Castell is the way to a united universe... if we are giving up on him now, you might as well hand Genesis your gate addresses and surrender the universe to Origin. There is another that all of you must protect, but her name cannot be spoken until it has been given. This will become Destiny's true legacy of finding what she was built for...the answers that all of you seek. Time is running out to free him...he is still mortal and will eventually succumb to Origin and be turned. Once this happens, he will ascend and peace will never come. Even Everett will tell you of the future this will bring, for he has seen it in his visions too. Remember, the future is not set in stone, we all have the power to change it." She put her hands softly on Everett's shoulders and whispered quietly and gently to him, "Sit down my darling Everett" then, she drew his anger out from within him, allowing his head to clear and think rationally.

Jack stood up and collected his thoughts for a moment before starting. "Is it just me, or does everyone here thinks we should keep looking? Now look, I know you guys are more advanced and smarter than us humans, but do we really want to all live under Origin...because I've seen how crappy it is, and I don't really want to go there."

He made light of a dark situation in true O'Neill form, and also in his next subject. "As you are all aware, we have been collectively working on a new anti Ori weapon that well, just kills off the priors, not the people." Jack picked up the notebook in front of him and tapped the screen, causing the 3D image to spring from the Asgard projector in the centre of the table. "Okay, this is it, all ready for real world testing...or should I say real galaxy. We have named it the Anti Sub Space Halo Ori Liberator and Remover. I know it sounds long so we made an acronym for it... A.S.S.H.O.L Remover. If you prefer, we'll just stick to Anti Ori Weapon (A.O.W) for now." Jack had lost none of his cheek with age.

He continued with the more technical details, but kept it brief. "It can be fired from the standard Valeyian weapon and we believe, causes only minimal damage to the ship. As we have learned, take out the prior and his light up stick thingy, the ship is virtually useless without his power to run it."

Freya had a question and interrupted Jack's somewhat comical speech. "General O'Neill, we do understand that the Orici has the power to operate the ship remotely, if a prior is otherwise incapacitated. How then will this weapon remain effective?"

Jack didn't get to answer as Lady Destiny took over. "Removing a prior from existence causes fluctuations in the Ori's power, requiring Genesis to balance it out. As minor as this seems, if many were removed at once, he would struggle to maintain order and control the ships, as his abilities are not yet fully awakened. No matter how powerful the mind, multitasking as humans would call it, is still very difficult at that level of concentration. This is the key to retrieving Castell, confuse Genesis with a great many losses, and Everett should be able to communicate with him." She looked at all who were seated and then added, "There are still those of the Ascended that do not believe we should be involved with those that are not. Even though I can speak freely here to you, I will still face my own consequences upon returning. I cannot help you fight the Ori unless they ascend, however I will continue to give advice, even if it is at great personal cost to me." She placed her hand again on Everett's shoulder, as a sign of her fondness of him, as she simply vanished.

* * *

><p>Away from the drama at the Pentagon, but still on Earth, Chloe knocked on the front door of her mom's house. She heard the footsteps and then watched as the door opened and her mother appeared.<p>

"Chloe!" was all she could say as she burst into tears of joy and hugged her daughter, "Oh God I have missed you Sweetheart..."

Chloe hugged her mom back with nearly as many tears saying, "I've missed you too mom...so much!"

Patricia let go and stood in front of her holding Chloe's hands. "Wow, what a beautiful woman you have become...you're no longer my little baby girl now", she said with a huge smile.

Chloe was smiling broadly too and said, "I'll _always be_ your baby girl mom... I love you so much." They embraced again. Chloe let go and stood back half a step, but kept hold of her mother's hand and said, "Mom, this is Captain Matthew Scott, the man I intend to marry", Matt stepped from the side of Chloe and offered his hand to her mother.

Patricia looked him over quickly, "Oh don't be silly, come here!" She placed her arms around his neck and hugged him, as Chloe giggled watching Matt's awkwardness. She let go and turned the same direction as them saying, "Come in, come in..."

As Matt entered the house first, Patricia grabbed her daughter's hand again and pulled her close, whispering in her ear, "Now I see why you like him Honey!" The two girls laughed together.

They all sat down together in the sitting room and became more acquainted, making small talk and catching up on family.

Chloe said, "Mom, Matt has something he would like to ask you."

Patricia looked at Matt with softness in her eyes, knowing what he wanted to ask. "Okay, by all means."

Matt took a quick glance at Chloe, who re-assured him with her eyes, then he asked, "Mrs Armstrong, with your blessing, I would be honoured to take Chloe's hand in marriage."

Although she knew they were engaged, she felt a sense of pride in being asked in person. She looked at the two of them in front of her and answered, "Is this what you two really want? ...It's not something to be taken lightly..." she said with a slightly stern face.

Matt answered without hesitation, "Yes Ma'am, with all my heart and soul."

It wasn't hard for her to see the bond they had between them, but in that instant she noticed something very "different" about Chloe... that made her sit back for a moment in hesitation. "Well then..." she smiled broadly at them both, "You have my blessing. Now, if you don't mind Matthew, may I speak with my daughter alone for a moment?" before Matt could answer she added, "Oh, and call me Patricia, Mrs Armstrong sounds like my mother" she smiled at him.

"No Ma'am, that's fine...um, Chloe, where is the..." replied Matt with a cheeky smile.

Chloe beamed lovingly at him, "Down the hall, to the left" she giggled.

Patricia looked carefully at her daughter for a moment, then asked "You have changed in some way Chloe, not just became wiser, but more...what is it that happened out there?"

Chloe sat back on the sofa and pushed her long dark hair back, sighing and closing her eyes to think. "Yes, I have...but I can't tell you about it" her mom went to interject, but she held up her hand saying, "Not because I don't want to, it's more that I don't actually know or remember what happened" Chloe wanted to tell her but she was unsure if her mother was ready to hear it.

"Chloe," she said, "I'm your mother, and I know when you're hiding something from me. Look I understand to an extent, what it is you do. Considering it's been all over the news since that reporter stepped onto your ship, nothing would surprise me these days."

Chloe reached out and took hold of her left hand saying, "Just trust me and close your eyes."

Patricia was a bit hesitant speaking with a slight tremor in her voice, "Chloe?"

Chloe reached out and took hold of her other hand and repeated, "Mom, just trust me..."

Patricia closed her eyes, and put her blind faith into her daughter. She felt the strangest feeling of floating...as though she was dreaming while wide awake. Somewhat startled she asked, "Honey, what is this?"

Chloe's calm voice reassured her, "We're still in the room mom, this only exists in your mind, not the real world."

Her mom suddenly found herself in a dimly lit room, holding her daughters hands, as reality seem to slip away. She felt safe, but still anxious in her question."Honey, where are we?"

Chloe smiled and began. "It would be impossible to explain the changes in me without showing you first hand. The place we are in is a part of Destiny's memory. It would hurt you too much if I showed what happened to me when I was taken by the Nakai, so I will just show you the residual effects. They took me back and undid all of their genetic manipulation, but it had opened a part of my higher consciousness that now allows me to interact with the neuro-net of Destiny herself. This means I am connected to the ship, almost like an extension of it. My navigational and mathematical abilities are way beyond my own understand, so I just accept that when it comes to me, I use it."

They found themselves standing on the bridge together, watching an image of Chloe piloting Destiny through a battle with the Ori.

Patricia watched in fear and amazement as her daughter defied the odds, as she kept the ship from being destroyed. "Oh my Lord, this is what you do all day...run from aliens?" She could feel the endless love from her daughter surround her as she watched on, feeling safe for herself, but concerned for Chloe.

Chloe answered, "Two of the crew were in the front of the ship effecting emergency repairs. If we were hit in that area, they would have died instantly. The whole ship may have even been destroyed. This is why I do what I do, because _I can_." Chloe slowly brought her mother back to the sitting room that they had never left. Matt was standing in the doorway knowing what was going on.

Now with her head and mind safely back in her home, Patricia looked back to Matt, who just smiled and said casually, "She's quite a girl, your daughter...Ma'am..."

* * *

><p>Uncountable light years away in a far off galaxy, another kind of debate was going on between several of Destiny's crew. Lisa, with help from others scientists sent from Earth, was starting to unravel the ancient science equipment in the many different labs of the ship.<p>

Lisa was saying convincingly, "But if you look back at the universe, it is a snapshot of what it used to look like. We all know what we looked back at from Earth was about 13.7 billion years ago, because of the speed at which light travels, and the time it took to get there. I still have to ask if we really have any chance of finding whatever it was the Ancients found, since we are so far behind the event."

Lisa's conversation was directed at Kelda, an Asgard presented in complete perfect human female form. Unlike the athletic looks and long blond locks of Freya, Kelda was a dark shade of shoulder length burgundy with voluptuous accentuated curves of medium build. It was amazing to think one of the most advanced races humans had ever met, turned out to require our help in recreating their own species.

Kelda smiled back at her replying, "All matter and anti matter is relative to its own time and space, and I am under the belief that what they found will still show a residual presence, regardless of the time past. Besides, not even my own species knows for 100% certainty that time remained constant in that moment. Some of my people have theorised that due to nature of the event, time was not a concept until gravitational forces degraded, allowing particles and light to escape. Even our own technology cannot see the origins of the universe, although as Asgard, we have a greater understanding of conceptual quantum physics than Humans or Ancients for that matter, and our theories are somewhat different."

Lisa looked up from the console she was standing at and thought about what Kelda had just said, before smiling back and saying, "Well, I guess that is why we are here...to try and find out just what it is either of us don't understand..." Kelda laughed and smiled knowingly. As Lisa was still getting to know her, she added, "You are so different from the Asgard we have come to know... normally they would simply correct our understanding if we say something too... "Human"."

Kelda joked back, "Don't let my human looks fool you... I am very highly intelligent remember!" she giggled along with Lisa. "I must say that I find this body is a far more appropriate vessel for my consciousness, than I first believed. The Human emotion centres of the brain do require constant adjustment to remain focused on the task at hand. Especially when some of the more... to use a Human term, "attractive" males pass by me, I find myself rather distracted and looking at their bodies. Is this a normal Human behaviour for a female?"

Lisa cracked up laughing but managed to get out, "Yes, we do sometimes... and it works both ways."

Although the Asgard were far advanced, in their new human form they had to contend with a human size brain, and all it's wonderful emotional centres born in the frontal lobe region. However, they used it far more effectively and efficiently, although they still had a way to go with the Human traits of emotions and feelings. Kelda was now more curious and asked Lisa a very personal question, hoping not to offend her.

"Lisa, may I ask something?" she moved close as to not speak aloud.

Lisa stopped what she was doing, sensing that this was important to Kelda, and replied openly, "Of course you can, anything you like."

Kelda got straight to it asking discretely, "Why do humans have such urges to procreate? Is this a fault of this body I have, as it only seems to occur in the presence of particular situations. As you know the Asgard have a very different way, but I understand that this is why we have chosen to use Human forms, allowing us to reproduce naturally."

Lisa looked around at the other people near them and made a decision quickly before answering. "Um... here is probably not the best place to answer that, and it would be better if you came to my quarters later, where we have some privacy... it isn't a simple explanation."

Kelda smiled warmly at her. "Thank you Lisa, I will do that" the feeling inside her suggested she had found someone she could call a _friend_.

Lisa thought to herself, _wow, for all that intelligence...they have a limited understanding of love or lust... Amazing._.. she smiled and went back to work…

Ginn sat in the observation deck looking out the window at the waves of FTL, with her hands gently caressing her belly. She knew their little girl was nearly ready to arrive, but hoped it would be after Chloe and Matt's wedding.

Vanessa put her hand on Ginn's shoulder, walking around the seat to face her. "Hey, how are you two doing?" she asked happily.

Ginn just smiled back, "We are doing just fine... hey, and why are you out of uniform?"

Vanessa was jovial in her reply. "Well..." she sat down beside Ginn, "my boss has said that for the next few days of the wedding, I am to consider myself on break. That means... I am on holidays! Yea!" she went on to laugh.

As Ginn watched Vanessa sit down beside her she asked, "How's Camille, I haven't seen much of her for a few days?"

Vanessa looked at Ginn askingly before answering, and with a smiling nod from Ginn, she placed her hand on her belly. "She has been so busy organizing this wedding, I have hardly seen her much myself!" Vanessa could feel the baby moving under her touch. "Ohh, she's gona be such a cutie!"

Ginn laughed, "Her daddy thinks so too." She continued to smile at Vanessa before saying what she thought. "You have thought about having a child too, haven't you?"

Vanessa looked seriously at Ginn for a moment... "I don't know how to ask Camille. I mean, _if she wants too_... I would like to, but my career rather limits me as well and...I'm not getting any younger either. I don't know, I think I'll just enjoy yours and Te'arly's for now" Vanessa was being honest to herself, but the thought had been on her mind for some time.

Ginn clasped Vanessa's hand for comfort saying, "If it's any consolation, I think you two would be incredible parents."

A tear crept from the corner of Vanessa's eye as she said, "Thank you..." and gently hugged Ginn. Wiping it away with a small sniffle, Vanessa changed the subject. "Now, assuming you don't have a little surprise in the next two days, are you still up to your Matron of Honour duties?"

Ginn grinned back warmly saying, "There is only one reason I would miss it..." and rubbed her belly smiling, "If someone decides it's time... TJ believes she should be due in about five more days, but being part of me, it will be on her terms I guess!" she laughed.

Vanessa laughed along, agreeing with her situation. "Well, TJ will be right beside you anyway. Now, me and Camille have everything organized on Chloe's list, while she is back on Earth... we'll be setting up for the wedding right here. Eli has two of the engineers coming tomorrow to remove the seating from here, so we can set the rest of the deck up as a reception area. Is there anything you need?"

Ginn thought for a moment before saying, "Maybe a stool would be good behind me, just in case I get a bit tired on my feet. Other than that, everything is fine. The dress that Chloe got for me is amazing and beautiful, I have never seen such delicate work...and what was the name of that colour again?"

Vanessa was still grinning, "Salmon pink, and yes, the lace work is exquisite. How about Chloe's dress? Oh my God! It is just suited for a princess with that long train, strapless pure white, and lace. It's just _sooo_ beautiful." Vanessa was feeling that this was becoming one of the happiest occasions aboard Destiny in the time they had been there.

Ginn smiled, "Your people certainly have a way with special occasions..."

* * *

><p>The eve of the wedding had arrived as Everett, Te'arly and Hadrian, returned with Patricia, Chloe, and Matt. Patricia step tentatively through the gate and onto Destiny, nearly crushing Chloe's hand in the process as she held it so tight.<p>

Chloe squeezed back to get her attention, "Mom, I need that hand..."

Patricia realized and let go of her grip saying, "Oh, sorry. I suppose you would tell me "you get used to it", but I'm not sure I'd want to." She went quiet again taking everything in.

Chloe answered, "Come on, I'll show you the best part."

Matt turned and told Chloe "Honey, I have to check on a few things, see you later?" he turned and gave Chloe a quick peck on the cheek, before acknowledging Patricia with a nod and "Ma'am."

Chloe just automatically replied, "Love you... see you soon" knowing that he still had duties to perform.

Patricia followed Chloe and after a few moments of silence, she was startled by Destiny returning to FTL flight by the blur familiar to everyone else onboard. "What in God's name was that?" she asked.

Chloe replied calmly, "It's just Destiny jumping back into faster than light-speed travel. We call it FTL for short...every time we use the gate, we have to drop out of FTL and come to a standstill, a fixed point in space." She looked at her mother's confused face, "I'll let Eli fill you in, he's better at explaining technical things without confusing people. Come on..." she held her mom's hand and led her to the directional elevator.

They landed at the corridor that led to the observation deck with Chloe asking, "Want to see what travelling faster than light looks like?" Chloe had the broadest smile across her face.

Patricia stood in silent awe as many others had in wonder of the bluish white glow of FTL travel. She also noticed the front of the ship way off in the distance which broke her silence. "How big _is this ship_ Chloe?"

Chloe had to quickly ask Destiny in her mind, not having ever the need before. "Just under 2500 feet long and 1700 feet wide... so pretty big!" she answered while rubbing the small of her mom's back. "I know this is all overwhelming for now, but you do get use to it. And before you ask, yes it does get scary sometimes, but we all count on each other for support under any situation... you'll understand in a couple of days." Chloe leaned her head against her mother's shoulder.

Patricia conceded that there were things here that she may never understand, but watching Destiny travelling across space faster than light, was the most astounding moment she had ever experienced. "Oh Chloe, I see why you wanted to stay... this is just..."

Chloe cuddled herself in deeper finishing off her mom's sentence. "That's where most people get stuck...there are no words to do it justice." They stood there watching, mother and daughter, remembering the husband and father they had lost.

Patricia said what Chloe had always believed. "He would have been _so proud of you_ for taking this on" she wiped away a tear, "And..." she began to really tear up, "And I am so proud of my beautiful daughter, oh Honey, you are just the most amazing and beautiful..." she struggled to finish it as a wave of emotions swept over both of them.

Their moment ended when they were happily disturbed by TJ and Camille.

Camille went first, "Hey guys, welcome back, and welcome aboard!"

Chloe introduced them, "Mom, this is Camille, and this is Tamara. Everyone calls her TJ for short, and this...is my mom, Patricia..."

Patricia shook their hands, "Lovely to finally meet you both, Chloe has told me so much about the two of you..."

Camille wanted to say thank you for what Senator Armstrong had done, but after seeing this had been very emotional, particularly for Patricia, she kept her comments centred on Chloe's wedding. "Well as you can see, we have removed the seats to make more room, and the reception area is well underway. Now Chloe, I have Mr Brody and Captain Tez working the bar and our catering staff will be handling the meals and horderves. Is there anything else you need us to take care of?" asked a much focused Camille.

Chloe just smiled and spontaneously hugged Camille saying, "Thank you Camille, this has been so wonderful what you guys have put together for us!"

Camille lost her steely focus but held back any tears. "Oh Chloe, it has been a pleasure to help you two out..." She stepped back still holding her hand, "The SGC has sent a Chaplin from the US Air-Force to conduct the service, and he would like to meet you both to go over a few things."

Chloe looked at her mom, "Well then... it seems that everything is under control here. All I have to do now... is get married!" she laughed.

* * *

><p>Destiny was abuzz with the wedding day finally arriving. Nearly all of the crew were helping in some way to make the event trouble free and wonderful for everybody. Colonel Telford and Colonel Mitchell had both sent their regards to Matt and Chloe, but duty called and they were unable to be present. Destiny herself could feel the excitement, as was pointed out by Chloe and Amanda. Even Eli received a message on his CI screen in Ancient that translated to "Enjoy the moment!" as he worked on some last minute details before getting ready to be Matt's Grooms-man.<p>

As Chloe and the girls, Tamara, Camille, Vanessa, Amanda, along with Patricia and Ginn, got ready for the big event...in another part of the ship, Matt and Ronald dragged their hung over asses out of bed and into the "shower".

Matt coughed and gagged before making a leap for the toilet. "Gees, what the hell did Brody put in that stuff last night?" he managed to spit out.

Greer wasn't doing too much better replying, "Dono... a bit of everything I think. All I know is...you got fucked up...and I feel like shit..." The two boys started to laugh until their heads began to throb.

Matt stood up. "Don't make me laugh Sergeant..."

Greer had a huge smile on his face, "Is that an order...Captain Hangover?!" he started to laugh again.

Everett walked in and looked at both of them. "You guys want to hope Chloe doesn't ask to see the recording of last night... she might have second thoughts." Everett kept a straight face. In all fairness, nothing bad happened. Just a group of friends who played a drinking game that was rigged to get Matt smashed... and it worked! "Been some time since I was at a bucks night." He looked Matt over before letting him off the hook. "You needn't worry, you did nothing wrong. But get your butts moving, you're on in three hours!"

Eli had remained sober just in case Ginn had gone into labour. He arrived with very strong coffee, and greasy hamburgers... his own perfect hangover cures for both of them.

Matt looked at the food and groaned before Eli assured, "Trust me, it works..."

Greer didn't need a second invite and hoed down on hamburger breakfast.

An hour later, Matt and Ron had sobered up remarkably well, and were now getting organized with Eli assisting. Matt was now feeling nervous, and it was starting to show, as Ron noticed it.

"You okay?" Ron asked

Matt looked straight at him and asked sincerely, "I'm I doing the right thing? I mean, with all the um... extra abilities she has, am I right to do this?" He didn't wait for an answer before adding, "You know I had that dream about marrying her once, and when she turned around..."

Greer cut him off. "I know, you told me...she was part Nakai." Ron searched for the right words, "Look man, no one can tell you how to feel. We all know Chloe is different than when she arrived, but most of us are. It's the nature of the universe to change, and up to us as to how we deal with it. Chloe is awesome, and she is someone I also count as a close friend...you I count as a brother. So there is no way I would ever let either of you do something that might end badly, especially this. From what I know, it's normal to feel anxious before a wedding, but don't doubt how _you feel for her_... she loves you the same way, and I know you're both going to be awesome together."

Matt smiled and gave Ron a brotherly hug, "Thanks..."

Greer looked at Eli and Matt. "You ready? Let's roll!"

Ginn looked at herself in the mirror and was astounded by the reflection back."I've never had clothes like this before...ever! It is sooo beautiful!" She was proud of her belly bump, and was never concerned with her shape or size. Her culture acknowledged expectant mothers as something to be honoured and respected.

The three girls stood together as Patricia took some photos. Chloe looked stunning in her wedding dress, and her joy and confidence just shone through.

Patricia said, "I can't believe my little girl is getting married! Oh Honey, you are just gorgeous...Matthew is going to just melt when he sees you." As her eyes teared up she said the one thought Chloe was trying to hold back, "_He is so proud of you, I can feel it in my heart..."_

Chloe swallowed hard and fought back her tears, after Camille and Vanessa had spent hours on her make-up and hair. "I know mom... me too" she said solemnly.

Camille got their attention, "Ladies... if you will follow me..."

Standing at the altar a very nervous Matt looked at Ron with a shaky smile. "You got the rings right?"

Greer spoke first then touched his jacket pocket. "Yeah, there here..." and then moved his hand to the other pocket, "Um...they were..." his hands darted into every pocket as he watched Matt start to freak out, then... "Hahaha, just joking man, there right here..." he took out the black ring box and opened it for Matt to see. "Remember, trust me with your money or your life..." he didn't finish out of respect for Chloe.

Matt breathed a collective sigh of relief, "After this, remind me to kill you..." Eli watched on amused by Ron's last minute gag.

The word came from the doorway and shortly after, Ginn walked through, followed by Tamara.

Chloe finally walked through to the sound of gasps with Patricia hook on her arm. She whispered to Chloe with a smile as they walked slowly down the aisle, "I don't care if this is not traditional...we're on a spaceship in another galaxy..." Chloe just kept her eyes focus on the man standing in wait for her.

The ceremony proceeded with tears, joy, and happiness from everyone. Photographs were taken with the FTL glow backdrop through the observation deck window, and later in the dome as Destiny dropped to sublight engines to catch the stars in the background. They returned to find the reception underway, with Everett introducing the new Mr and Mrs Scott to a cheering audience.

Ronald's speech had the crew in laughter and silence as he spoke from the heart about the man who he thought of as a brother, and a lady that he held dear to his soul. It wasn't long after this that Ginn suddenly felt something.

She called out to Eli across the noise, who was oblivious to her call until Chloe got his attention...

"Eli! She's coming!"


	34. Chapter 34

SGU s04 e14

Traces

Eli sat beside Ginn, holding their sleeping baby daughter in his arms. He spoke in a whisper to her, "Hello beautiful girl, I'm your daddy and I love you." Ginn watched on as a single tear escaped from the corner of Eli's proud and loving eye.

Ginn placed her hand on his arm and lent over slightly, saying quietly, "Hello my little lady, I'm your mommy..." she looked at Eli with the most blissful expression, "I love you too, both of you!"

Tamara came over to Ginn's bed in the infirmary. She was in her uniform and glad to be standing near the newest addition to Destiny, but her focus was elsewhere. "How are you feeling Ginn?" she asked.

Ginn was still smiling, but she was also in pain. "How can I be anything but happy..." she nodded and conceded, "Yes, I am feeling pain"

Tamara held Ginn's hand. "You had all of us scared there for a while...none more than the man beside you..." she motioned to Eli. "You are under strict orders to rest for at least the next few days, no exceptions!" TJ still had a smile, but her serious concern for Ginn was plainly evident.

Eli looked over to Tamara, "I don't know how to thank you guys enough...for saving both of them." He held his tears back so as not to disturb the joyful little bundle in his arms.

Tamara struggled to hide her emotions, but knew she was in charge and had to regardless. "Uterine rupture is very rare and only affects about 1 in every 8,500 in developed countries. We are not sure why it happened, considering how your body came to be. There may have been a genetic fault somewhere that caused a weakness and as your baby moved it stressed that weakness. You gave all of us quite a fright!" she tried to play down the seriousness of what happened.

Ginn nodded, realizing how close they came to disaster, but she could see something else behind Tamara's eyes. "What...what is it TJ...?"

Tamara hated giving good people bad news, but she wanted to be the one who told her. "Amanda and I..." she held her nerve, "We tried everything we could..."

Ginn and Eli said at the same time, "But what?!"

TJ rubbed her tears back, "But we couldn't save your uterus. _I am sooo sorry Ginn..._" Tamara struggled to tell her.

* * *

><p>From the happiness of the wedding reception, it seemed a world away to Eli and Ginn now. Tamara, Amanda, Varro, and Camille, along with Destiny's help from her massive medical databanks, had performed a miracle to save both the life of Ginn and her baby. Poor Eli could do nothing but watch as the team worked diligently to deliver their baby by caesarean section, before being able to repair the rupture and save Ginn. Now the news that Ginn would never be able to carry another child was just heartache to contend with but life was more important.<p>

Ginn grabbed hold of Tamara's hand and squeezed it gently. "Hey..._we are alive, and it is all thanks to you guys!_ If that's the price for saving us, then so be it." Tamara looked into her compassionate eyes. "Look at her TJ, she is so beautiful...you did that! You gave her to us, and gave her a mommy. Don't you ever feel sorry about that." Ginn would have hugged her, but she had to stay still and let the healing belt around her do its job.

Although Eli was at first devastated by the news, holding his new born daughter in his arms made it pale into insignificant. She was here, healthy, and so was the love of his life...they were a family now, and he knew that their strength together would get them through anything life was to throw at them.

Eli carefully stood up and walked around the bed to Tamara. "Would you like to hold her TJ?" he asked kindly.

Flashes of her own past roared back into Tamara's mind, but the overwhelming desire to nurture won her over. "Oh Eli... yes, yes I would!" she stated proudly.

As Eli handed the precious package over to her he said, "No matter what happened or what is to be, _this is the only thing that counts, right here, right now..."_

Tamara nodded her heartfelt understanding as she took hold of their young daughter and cradled her. "Hello little cutie, does mommy and daddy have a name for you yet?"

Ginn looked to Eli who just shrugged his shoulders before saying, "We have a few ideas, but one stands out, doesn't it Eli?" She smiled at him.

Eli didn't say anything instead he looked deep into Ginn's eyes and without asking in voice, waited for her okay. She nodded to, him happy in the reason known only unto them.

"Lala" he said to Tamara, and with that, the little one opened her ocean blue eyes and gave a big yawn.

TJ's heart just melted with the love that one feels for their child as Lala gave a quick smile before breaking into a hungry cry. "Ohh, do we need mommy now?" she said in baby talk. She handed Lala over to Ginn for a feeding.

Her crying stopped as she began to feed and even though Ginn was in pain, nothing was going to come between her and Lala...ever! It wasn't long before people came in to see them, with Everett and Te'arly the first official visitors.

The warmth and love that surrounded everyone there was a reminder that they had become a family regardless of anyone's origin. Everett felt like a proud father would toward Eli and Ginn, looking at their daughter...but in this near timeless moment, he felt something else...

_He felt someone else!_

Castell cut through his mind like a fighter plane roaring overhead. "Everett! Hear me!" he cried.

Everett fell forward to Ginn's bed, thrusting his hands out to stop from falling. Eli caught him as he rocked forward. "Ahh!" he cried, "Castell where are you?" he said aloud, his face grimacing. Flashes of galaxies stormed through Everett's mind as Castell broke free of the Ori's controlling grip until one stayed in focus just long enough for Everett to take notice. A moment later, another flash of a solar system with two distinct blue worlds from the same galaxy, then it was gone. Everett slumped to the floor, dazed and confused... "I know where he is!" he murmured and passed out.

Half an hour later, TJ brought Everett around with the aid of some strong-smelling alien potions Varro had made. His first reaction was to say, "I gotta get to the bridge, I know where he is..." He tried to get up, but couldn't even lift his arms.

TJ and Varro calmed him down with Tamara saying abruptly, "Sir, I need you to lay here, I don't know what has happened, but your stats are spiking. Your blood pressure is way over 200 and you're on the verge of having a stroke...you're no good to him dead. Let's get you calmed down first and then we will get this sorted out."

Varro gave him an injection to slow his body down from the state of shock he was in as TJ called for Amanda urgently.

Amanda arrived and administered a strong sedative to relax his body. "Everett, I have given something to relax you. Whatever has happened, the connection between you has drained nearly all of your energy reserves. Your body was staring to shut down vital organs...as though you had been badly physically wounded. Only time will restore your energy levels..."

Everett struggled to put words together, "He...needs...help...now..."

Amanda could understand, but he needed to regain his strength and it would take time. "And help he will get, but you have to be alive to give it! Look at it this way, the connection drained your life force immensely... Think of it as like being fed on by a Wraith, except that you didn't age. It's going to take some time to get that back, but you should return to full health soon. Now rest General!" she commanded.

* * *

><p>Matt didn't get much of a honeymoon, nor did Chloe for that matter. Patricia had decided to stay onboard for a while longer to see her daughter in action but hopefully not dangerous action. With Everett off his feet for a few days, Matt took his place as Captain of ''Destiny''. They had alerted Apollo 2011 and in turn Cameron had contacted Telford with the details. With Ginn still in bed, Eli was in high demand as a father first, then as Everett's proxy until he regained his strength. Nick and Eli set up a holoscreen above Everett's bed in the infirmary with a direct link to the Valeyian Databank and Destiny's memory so he could search for a matching picture to the vision he saw.<p>

He spent hours scanning through different images and live stills taken by other IGA ships that were then fed straight to Destiny via subspace link. His frustration was growing by the minute and not being able to move much didn't help anything either.

Finally he threw the controller in disgust at his own predicament. Lucky for Everett, he was on his own after Ginn had moved to rest back in her and Eli's own quarters. Everett rubbed his eyes feeling so tired, and then felt the controller placed beside him.

"What the fuck...?" he said startled, refocusing his tired eyes.

"I'll let that profanity side my darling Everett, sorry to startle you," said Lady Destiny.

"Is that really you, or the ship?" he asked still slightly groggy.

She reached out and rubbed his hair back off his forehead, "It is me my Darling... I am so sorry that this has happened to you, but believe me...he didn't have much choice in connecting with you. If you were a native to Valeya, the impact would have been far less taxing on your soul. However, as you're human, well... Valeyian soul melds are not for the faint of heart." She continued to gently stroke his sweating forehead in the same way as a mother would for her child.

Everett could feel her unconditional love for everyone on Destiny as she sat quietly and patiently waiting for his next question. "Can you tell me what happened?" he finally asked.

She smiled at him. "Of course my darling Everett, I have nothing to hide from you. Castell needed more than just to communicate with you...he needed your life energy too. During a Valeyian soul meld, both people bind their souls together and share life energy. The other thing they share is the ability to see in each others minds and communicate with visualization... so you had a vision of what Castell has seen, and is still seeing. As the Ori are suppressing his normal abilities, it has weakened him greatly, requiring a need for him to gain life; recharge if you like... Normally, this would be done with both parties well aware of what's happening, but under his circumstances, I guess he just "stole" some from you as soon as he was able to make a connection. It gets very complex about how all this works, but in short it is the idea that all life in the universe is connected, and when one knows how to connect, they can."

She could see his uncertain look, "Don't worry my Darling...he stopped well short of any damage to you. It is not so much your body that is feeling unwell...it is really your soul and life energy that is low. Give it a couple more days and you will be fully recovered."

Everett asked a genuine but cheeky question. "Can you speed it up for me?"

Lady Destiny chuckled. "Not this I'm afraid. The energy comes from the universe itself and is out of my control. I do know that it will only take a couple of days to return to you, but it has given Castell time...and time is what you need to find him..." She kissed Everett on the head and vanished, just as Te'arly walked through the door.

Te'arly smiled knowingly. "Did she explain what happened Honey?" she asked casually.

Everett smiled back. "Did you see her?"

"No, but I knew she would come to you...I could feel her, but not see her. That was just for you I would imagine," Te'arly replied back as she sat on the side of the bed. "What did she say happened?"

"It was a Valeyian soul meld, when two souls connect together and share energy...he took some of mine to stay alive and gave me an insight to his whereabouts. A bit freaky really..." Everett told her. "She said I should be right in a couple of days, just takes a while to replace whatever he took."

Te'arly lent over and gave him a decent kiss on the lips, saying afterwards, "That should help too...my love."

A short while later, Nick called through the ship's com to Everett saying, "General, I think we may have a location of the galaxy. The Apollo crew have a lead on several likely galaxies not far from where the trail ran cold. If you're feeling up to it, I can patch you through to Colonel Mitchell."

Everett began to smile broadly, "Do it Rush. Thanks".

Cameron connected through the com system to Everett's holoscreen above him. "Hey Sir", he said casually; "You're a bit like General O'Neill, sticking your head into alien devices... without the device. Dr. Perry filled me in on your condition...I don't know about you, but all this extra special stuff you have seems more of a curse than a blessing..." Everett gave a chuckle, as Cameron watched on, smiling at his friend. "Anyway, look...Daniel and Sága have found a reference to the two blue worlds you have seen... it was in an interrogation interview with an Ori Prior we captured a few years ago. He was rambling on all about new world order under Origin etc, etc... he mentioned something strange. I'll let Daniel take over and explain." Cameron moved out of camera shot, and stood beside Daniel.

Daniel got straight to the point. "Hi, how are you feeling?" Daniel paused for a moment for Everett to nod his okay. "Sága suggested looking at anything the Ori may have said to us that we had record of and this was flagged pretty quickly. Have a listen to this..." he played the recording.

'Among the Ori is the vision of the one who will unite the two worlds. He that shall be taken from the planet of unknown existence will submit to the power of the Ori, and rise to be Orici Immortal and rule the universe of Origin.'

Daniel continued "He sounded pretty scary at that point, but until now we had no idea what or who he was on about. We have narrowed it down to one of three distinct Ori or ex-Ori occupied galaxies, but we'll have to still manually scan for the two planets."

Everett shook his head. "Damn, that would take ages...not to mention it would be a whole lot of fun with an open ship in possible enemy territories. There must be a better way than that... all of those galaxies could have billions of stars!" He was dismissive as his frustrations built.

Cameron came back into focus. "True, but we have been concentrating on the ones with Supergates outside of solar systems. The Asgard has been able to create a device that detects the power signatures of Supergates within any given galaxy, some time ago. We have an Asgard ship on the way to us with a more powerful version of the device."

Daniel politely interrupted Cameron and continued. "Sága has told me that it will detect the most heavily used Supergate first, due to its increased signature. It has to come close to getting us on target just based on that alone and it's where we intend to start. We have already narrowed it down to the most likely galaxy, but if no substantial signatures turn up within a few hours of scanning, we'll move to the next." Daniel sounded confident they were onto something.

Everett smiled broadly at the two faces looking at him. "Okay...sounds like you're more under control than me." He paused for a moment and then in a heartfelt way he said, "_Thanks guys, all of you!_"

Cameron understood what he was feeling about his friend... it wasn't about what might happen...it was about their calling of never leaving a man behind, even if he wasn't from their own world...

* * *

><p>A few days passed without anything than routine normality on Destiny. Her path had taken them beyond the center of the Valeyian Galaxy and they were now heading toward the outer solar systems. Everett had regained his energy and was back in command, which was good news for the new "Mr. and Mrs. Scott", who had been granted an extended leave from duty for a couple of weeks. As a wedding present, they had received an invitation from Valhalla to relax for a week on Valeya. This was basically a free honeymoon to a planet they both had enjoyed when Destiny had landed there for upgrades. They didn't need to be asked twice, and Chloe insisted Patricia come with them to stand on a different world!<p>

Ginn had recovered well, but she was still relying heavily on Eli to help with Lala until she herself got back to full strength. The_ real_ Lady Destiny had come to see Ginn and Eli privately to meet baby Lala. After a few moments of holding Lala, Lady Destiny showed a side of herself from before Ascension.

Ginn had asked without really thinking of who she was, "Do you have any children?"

Lady Destiny looked straight at Ginn while a deep sadness arose in her eyes as she replied, "Before I ascended...yes, two boys. Neither my husband nor children were able to Ascend as I did, but that was many, many years ago. They have become a part of life itself now and joined the universe as pure energy." She went quiet for a moment as Ginn realized she may have hit a raw nerve. She spoke up again in a different and more upbeat tone, reading Ginn's expressions. "It's okay Ginn...life is a cycle all of us complete and death is not final for '_you'_...just your body. You have already had that experience of being pure consciousness, but as I believed, it was something that happened to you before it was due time."

Ginn remembered the feelings of her own murder... Lady Destiny had reached out and touched her gently, breaking her nightmarish thoughts into nothingness.

As she passed Lala back, she said to Ginn and Eli, "Thank you for naming her after me, it is an honor to be remembered in such great light. Please know this from me... she will be protected should anything happen..." Lady Destiny made a real promise next that shocked both Ginn and Eli. "I would give up my Ascension to look after her, should it come to be..."

A stunned Eli and Ginn finally said goodbye to Lady Destiny, still not believing how far she would go to help. Eli cradled his little girl and said, "Well Sweetheart, you have a _real_ Fairy God Mother should you ever you need her..." He kissed her softly on the forehead...

Nick was sitting in Kirk's chair with Amanda resting on his lap cuddled into him, stealing a private moment in time just looking out of the bridge screens as they travelled in FTL. A message brought them back to reality as it appeared on the CI screen.

"Warning... Subspace anomaly detected, possible trace signal. I am unable to investigate or define source."

Amanda looked at Nick and asked aloud, "How long has it been transmitting?"

Destiny answered her on the screen, "Possibly fifteen minutes, coming from an internal source not connected to my mainframe."

Nick took action immediately, "General Young this is Dr. Rush on the bridge, please respond," he said over the com.

A few moments later Everett replied. "Yes Rush, what is it?"

Nick kept it secret to avoid alerting whoever was responsible. "We have detected a highly populated planet, possibly very advanced. Could you please come to the bridge...um, ASAP?"

Everett looked at a very naked Te'arly lying on the bed watching him, with a naughty grin on her face. "Damn you Rush..." he said under his breath and sighed, "Okay, be there soon... Young out," and he jumped back into bed saying, "Damn his timing..."

Te'arly hugged him, pulling Everett toward her and whispered in a sexy voice, "I'll still be ready when you get back Honey..." She kissed him on the neck, then passionately on the lips before sending him on his way.

As Everett walked through the door of the bridge he said loudly to Nick, "This better be good Rush..." but saw the look on Nick's face.

Nick put his finger to his lips and whispered "Shhh!" then said loudly, "Destiny, seal off all recording and voice transmission from the bridge until I give the command to reinstate it."

A message appeared on the screen in Ancient, "Bridge is closed..."

Everett got his words out first saying; "What the hell is going on Rush?"

Nick started. "Right, I think we may have a saboteur onboard Ev. Destiny has alerted us to a subspace signal being transmitted from somewhere in the ship, but she is unable to trace its origin."

Everett shook his head in disbelief. "Are you absolutely sure about this Rush, I know all the crew have come through the SGC and IOC screening process...unless it's one of the hitchhikers we've picked up?"

Nick looked to Amanda who could offer no insight this time before saying, "I can't say for certain, but someone has to have done this. Destiny has given us limited details about the transmission, but it is jumping from one place to another and we can't get an exact fix on it, although it seems to be coming from the living decks. There also seems to be a bunch of smaller systems that have been acting up for a few days, but we just put it down to normal wear and tear, or a sensor glitch."

Everett was having trouble believing anyone of his crew would turn against them, but he couldn't discard the evidence of the signal. "Alright, let's say it was one of ours...what and why are the reasons?"

Nick shook his head, "I don't know...but someone wants us found by someone or thing. The best action would be to stop the transmission, but we have to find the device to do that..."

Everett finished the sentence for him, "Which means a search that may tip off whoever is responsible. Okay then... who do we trust this to?"

Amanda answered, "Well, I can tell you who it isn't... any of us that are connected to Destiny, as I knew nothing about this until she told us. So that eliminates me, Chloe, who is not on the ship anyway, Franklin, Ginn, and Eli. So unless either of you two has done this, that leaves the rest of our crew as suspects..."

Everett sighed, "Damn it." he brushed his hair back with his right hand and said, "Rush, when was the last crew rotation, and get me the details on whoever are the new faces?"

Nick tapped the CI screen, "Seven weeks ago;" his voice changed to a concentrating tone, "and the newbs are: six Marines, two Airmen, five scientists, and one Asgard female called Kelda." They all smiled slightly at the mention of Kelda's name as she had become somewhat of an unusual celebrity with a very quirky sense of humor.

Everett said quickly, "I really don't think an Asgard would be behind something like this. Just for the moment, we will leave Kelda out of the situation, agreed?"

Nick nodded, along with Amanda, both repeating, "Agreed..."

Nick said, "Ev, I think the first thing to do is start searching with people we _know we can trust_, and keep the military out of it, so as not to tip them off."

Everett didn't like it, but Nick made sense about keeping everything under the radar, answering, "I'll get Greer and TJ to check the military side of things discretely; meanwhile you guys get Eli, Franklin, Camille, and Lisa, to start checking quarters for a "suspected systems issue." Amanda, do we have something to detect this with that wouldn't arouse suspicion?"

She closed her eyes for a few seconds thinking, and then replied, "I could reprogram a few Kino controls if we can get a lock on the signal modulation... it will take me a few minutes though."

Everett nodded and smiled, although he remained deadly serious. "Okay, get whatever you need as soon as you can...we have to stop this device now!" She rushed out past him on a mission. "Rush, I need you to try and crack the frequency for Amanda, I'll organize the others for the search." He began to walk out of the bridge as Nick replied, "On it already Ev, I'll keep you updated..." Nick didn't take his eyes off the CI screen.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for Nick to find the transmission frequency and he promptly patched it through directly to Amanda. She found it a straight forward process to alter the Kino control to look for the signal and quickly reprogrammed several before handing them out to those searching.<p>

Everett gave everyone specific areas and instructions so that they were not scanning their own rooms. It wasn't long before Amanda and Camille found the first transmitter... in Chloe and Matt's quarters. About fifteen minutes later, Franklin and Lisa found a second transmitter in Eli and Ginn's room. After another hour of discrete searching, no more devices were located, nor did Destiny detect any more evidence of a signal leaking. Everett called a general meeting with his main trusted crew in Destiny's sealed conference room.

"Okay guys," he said as he entered the room, "thanks for coming on short notice, and I want you all to listen first without interruption." He paused for a moment, making sure they agreed. "We have found two transmission devices... one was located in Captain Scott's quarters, the other in Eli's. Now what we know so far is that both of these parties have been otherwise distracted over the last several days, giving many opportunities for persons unknown to hide the devices. Discounting them is not a normal step in this process, but all of them have access and means to do significant damage to the ship or crew... and to be honest, I trust all of them implicitly and with my own life. So this leaves us with a case of sabotage by an unknown..." Nick entered the room stopping Everett in mid-sentence.

Nick said quickly, "You need to see this..." he held an iPad in his hand with star chart plots on the screen. "Here is where we should be..." he pointed at a local star cluster, then slid the screen and brought up the next chart. "And _this_ is where we really are! This is over 300 light years from our course, over twenty hours of FTL travel." Everett looked on stunned.

Eli shook his head in bewildered amazement, "Bullshit! It's not possible! We have fail-safes and cryptic hexadecimal algorithm, how can someone alter the course of the ship without Destiny herself knowing...it's not possible!" He didn't want to believe it, but the situation was staring him in the face. "Rush, let me see that!" Eli snatched the iPad from him, as Nick offered no resistance.

Everett said calmly, "Is it right Eli?"

Eli looked up at them all, especially Dr. Rush. "What the fuck? Yeah...it is." Eli mumbled to himself, "This is bullshit, it can't be!"

Nick stared back at Eli sympathetically saying, "I'm sorry Lad, Destiny has been deceived. It also explains all the minor systems issues that have happened over the last couple of days, most were sensor related."

Everett wasn't happy, neither was anyone else in the room. "So we have been flying blind for what Rush, about twenty hours?"

Nick answered, "Looks like it General. I have modified her course and we're heading back to our original path, but we are a long way from it... it will take about twenty four hours." Nick summed it for the mood. "They have made fools of us all!"

Eli looked at Camille and Greer's expressions and explained in more detail. "It would be impossible to change course without Destiny knowing. So they have gone around it by altering the perception of Destiny's sensor array. The sensors detect direction, stars, speed, and all sorts of feedback needed to navigate across space. Basically they have tricked the sensors in giving the wrong information to the nav computer, and altered our course. No one was any the wiser for it..." He was still taking the situation in.

Everett gazed across the table to everyone. "So, how do we want to play this from here? I have my own suggestions, but I'm asking for everyone's viewpoint and input." He waited for an answer.

Rush went first. "We don't want to scare anyone off, but I'm sure they would have worked out by now that we have found the signal devices they planted. I believe the best course of action might be to fight fire with fire...lay a trap for them and see if we can draw them out."

Others agreed with Nick, but had concerns also. Eli said, "But if they have realized we're on to them by finding the devices, wouldn't they go to ground to avoid detection? I know I would."

Everett added, "That depends on their motive in the first place. If they believe they have the upper hand, they may be ready to make another more direct move. Obviously something is coming for us; question is, what?"

Eli again added, "I've run the device against Destiny's data and the V Bank. It appears to be somewhat Valeyian in construction..." Eli twigged, "Or Ori!"

As the realization began to dawn on everyone in the meeting, Everett took a full military approach. "Master Sergeant Greer, get you most trusted men and arrest all of our new personal immediately, except Kelda, I will question her myself. If any resist, restrain from deadly force as we will need to extract information."

Camille protested, but with caution. "Sir, are you certain a full military approach is wise at this time? Won't that force someone into rash behavior...it could make matters worse?"

Everett was certain in his decision. "We will deal with that if it arises. Meanwhile, there is nothing stopping the Ori from dialing our Stargate to drop us out of FTL in an area we're not supposed to be in. The lives of everyone here are now at stake. Sergeant Greer, proceed now!"

"Yes Sir!" He abruptly left to find his men.

Eli made a suggestion. "We can remove the crystals from the gate and attempt to shut it down, but it is difficult to stop incoming wormholes... unless we can somehow restrict the incoming connection from the other gate. Otherwise the Ori seem to have the power to keep it open indefinitely."

Nick added, "The only real way to stop the gate from receiving a call is to either use it first, or dismantle it. Obviously using it is out of the question...we don't want to be a sitting duck, but it will take a while to dismantle it enough to render it useless."

Franklin had another idea. "What if we override the protocols that drop us from FTL? Effectively we would stay in FTL and the gate won't be able to lock..."

Eli and Nick's eyes widened quickly as they all looked at each other. Amanda communicated with Destiny as she closed her eyes and concentrated on a solution.

Finally she opened her eyes and said, "Destiny is not able to override that system, but we should have the ability to. However, it will take some work..."

Everett cut in, "And we don't know how long we have..." he nodded his head, "Okay...do it."

They left the room immediately and set to work on overriding the protocols, while Everett took Lisa with him to go and speak to Kelda.

Greer had rounded up his men, and so far everyone played nice and didn't resist his orders. As they approached one of the science labs looking for a man by the name of Dr. Rodger Markins, their show of force quickly spooked him as he turned to run.

Greer radioed Young as he watched his men give chase. "Sir, we have a Dr. Rodger Markins who has just started running...and he will be stopping in just a moment..." he smiled as he heard the stun sound from the Zat'nik'tel. "And he is down Sir... we'll take him for interrogation."

Everett smiled, knowing the look on Greer's face. "Well done Sergeant, I'll meet you there shortly."

He left Lisa with Kelda after their very polite and light hearted talks, as his own instincts told him she was no party to this anyway...

Eli wanted to punch the screen in frustration as they tried diligently to override the FTL protocol command from an incoming wormhole signal. "Damn it!" he cried out, and added a few choice words to express his anger.

He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder a few seconds later and looked around. "Hi Baby..." said Ginn, "It's going to be alright...now, what can I do to help?"

"Where's Lala?" asked Eli immediately.

Ginn smiled at him. "With TJ and Varro, they're looking after her for us... you need my help!" Eli smiled as she sat down beside him at the open CI console...

Everett stood and stared hard at Dr. Markins before saying, "If you tell us what is going on, it will be far easier for you. On the other hand..." he sat down in front of Markins, "Varro has created some very interesting... serums that when injected into you, well... I imagine you can work out the rest."

Markins said his first words to Everett. "It's already too late...they have found us and will destroy your whole little family on board... and your precious ship!" he laughed, "You think you are so untouchable out here with some other races' technology. All I had to do was change the data from the sensors, so simple, and now you don't even know where you are. So much for your advanced technology, tricked by a substitute data stream!" he laughed without fear.

"Hmmm, I see. Oh, I forgot to tell you...someone already gave you something for the pain, and they also told us that you probably won't shut up for a while, as anything you know will just 'leak' out if I ask, so... Did Genesis command this from his Ori Warship?"

Markins tried not to speak but he found he was compelled to answer and had no control over his new automated voice. "He didn't know of my placement on Destiny." He smiled cunningly, "Neither did the real Dr. Markins, who now knows how cold space really is without a suit. A servant of Genesis gave me my orders and altered my appearance and genetics to become Markins...we just switched him out before he went on rotation."

Everett signaled Greer to follow him out of the room saying to another Marine, "Keep him talking Sergeant," and left the room.

Everett turned and faced Ron, saying. "Push him about the galaxy, gate addresses, etc. If I'm right, he should be able to tell us where the twin blue planets are."

Ron asked, "How long does that stuff work for?"

Everett answered with a shrug. "Varro said about four hours. And when he collapses..." he smiled, "it has worn off and the mother of all headaches begins..."


	35. Chapter 35

Hello everyone reading. I'm a bit late with this one, but I needed to finish the next chapter before this was posted for consistency. There is a lot going on in-between the lines for the moment as we build up to the season finale, so I am trying to get it finished by the end of February. Enjoy!

SGU s04 e15

Decoy

Everett passed on the information gained from the fake Dr Markins, including gate addresses and the suspected location of the twin planet system, to Cameron on the _Apollo 2011_. Cameron told him that the intelligence seemed relevant to the information that Daniel was working with, and that there was a Supergate near to _Destiny's_ current position. Eli, Ginn, Nick, and Amanda had managed to effectively shut down the FTL protocols, and asked Cameron to try to dial _Destiny's_ stargate, which was unsuccessful.

"It just comes up as engaged, like someone else has connected already," was his smiling reply.

The crew breathed a collective sigh of relief. Nick and Eli knew the Ori were in another galaxy and had the ability to sustain a connection indefinitely, and if they had _Destiny's_ address, dialing in would be the one thing that could make them sitting ducks. If Markins had been able to send _Destiny's_ gate address to his masters, they believed the Ori wouldn't have hesitated to use it.

While Col. Mitchell was still on the horn, he discussed a proposal SGC was putting forward."Hey Everett, General Landry has come up with a strange idea that well, might just work." said Cameron over their secure com channel.

Everett was ready to hear anything, but this would really test him. "Okay, shoot," he said awaiting the answer.

Cameron continued, "You remember the old slide of hand trick? You know the one, where one hand does something to take your attention, while the other conceals the magic trick?"

Everett looked hard at Cameron saying "Yeah," he replied cautiously. "Where is this leading?"

Cameron smiled at his cautious look. "We want you to take _Destiny_ through the Supergate to the Ori's galaxy and draw them out!"

* * *

><p>There was absolute silence on <em>Destiny's<em> bridge as everyone there took in the words Col. Mitchell just said.

Everett replied in disbelief, "You want what? Have they gone totally mad? _Destiny_ is a research ship, not a warship!"

Cameron got serious. "I know I can't give you an order General, but I am sending some coordinates to you, and I expect to meet you there in an hour. I will talk to you in person then; Mitchell out!"

The screen went black as Everett just shook his head in disbelief saying, "This is not going to end well."

On the _Apollo 2011_, General Landry put his hand on Cameron's shoulder. "Sorry to make you the bad guy son, but I knew he wouldn't listen to me." Hank gave a sigh, "I hate giving good people crappy orders, but things are getting despite. Maybe the new upgraded F302V's we're giving them might ease the pain," he smiled at Cameron.

Cameron turned to his superior, "I know him well General; he'll be there."

Eli nodded to Everett, "Course is laid in General, and we'll be there in half an hour." He paused for a moment before saying, "General, maybe this is not as bad an idea as it seems. The Ori can't dial us out of FTL and we do have some pretty awesome capabilities. We have about a 90% fuel load so in theory our shields, weapons, and systems could stand up to almost any attack—I mean I know we're not impenetrable, but we're no lame duck either."

Everett cut him off with a nod and gentle hand wave, "I know Eli," he said empathetically, "But the game has changed, for both of us in particular." There was still silence on the bridge as both men stared at the elephant in the room.

Eli broke the silence. "Look," he said. "I know I haven't been a father for very long, but _we are here by our choice alone_. I at least have an idea of how you must feel about Te'arly and Hadrian; it would be the same as I feel about Ginn and Lala."

Everett was giving Eli his full attention.

Eli continued, "But this is the life we chose here and now, and nothing is going to change that." He looked at Ginn and smiled, but his emotions were raw and on the surface, "This is _our family and Destiny herself is a part of that too now._ I don't want to change it, and even if I have to face the worst of the worst –at least we get to choose –at least we get to have the ones we love the most right by our side if or when it happens."

Even Nick had a lump in his throat as he spoke. "He's right Ev," he said, "_We_ made a choice to follow this thing through, to continue the mission. This ship," he paused, "_Destiny_ is home to us now. Even though we can go back to Earth, do any of us really want to?" There was a strong feeling of extended and unique family in the bridge of _Destiny_ at that moment, united as one no matter what was to happen, good or bad.

Amanda said her piece too, "Even our enemy carries their families on warships, and that is why we have now created a weapon that would only disable the ship, not destroy it. None of us want the blood of innocents on our hands, nor be a party to killing thousands in a single shot. No one wants to die here either, and I doubt that the SGC would send us on a suicide mission. They can't touch us now in FTL, so as long as we jump as soon as we get through the gate, we should be fine. Don't forget, _Destiny_ has survived for millions of years on her own."

Everett looked at the most unlikely mix of non military people around him. He trusted them with his life, and they trusted him with theirs. He said with a genuine honor, "Your right; all of you—and I have never been so proud to have, family like you."

Silence again entered the bridge for a moment, as they all continued with their own thoughts on what had been said. Soon enough though, everyone continued where they had left off with a minimum of noise.

Eli interrupted the relative quiet a short time later saying, "Sir, heads up in five minutes."

Everett answered, "Okay Eli, and thanks."

Eli smiled back at Everett, "Your welcome, Sir!" and cast an unofficial salute to a man he admired greatly.

_Destiny_ dropped from FTL with Nick reporting a small star system nearby. "Might be a good idea to hide over their Ev, at least keep us out of sight until they arrive", he said.

Everett replied, "We'll run for cover if the need arises, until then raise shields to seventy percent and bring all weapons online; keep an eye out, Cameron won't be far away."

Eli reported, "Hyperspace window opening off port side, hundred thousand kilometers at two o'clock," he paused for the moment finger ready to fire. "I'm receiving _Apollo 2011_'s signature General," he soon said.

Everett gave a quick sigh, "Thanks Eli, open channel."

Cameron's face appeared again on screen. "Don't shoot, were friendly!" he said with an attempt at humor. "We're going to beam you aboard General Young and have a care package for you all, if you don't mind opening the hanger doors. Can you please lower your shields, and open the hanger bay doors?" Cameron made puppy dog eyes at Everett.

Everett gave the command and Eli lowered the shields. The moment Everett beamed out he reactivated _Destiny's_ lifesaving Valeyian shields. Anything they sent to the hanger would have the ability to fly through the shields.

Everett was beamed straight to Apollo's ready room where he found himself among familiar faces, and some he didn't know. "Okay," he said, "Now that you have me here, what in the hell are you planning?!"

Hank was the first to speak, "Sorry for making Col. Mitchell be the bad guy Everett, but I didn't want you to know I was on board. We believe you may have more than one spy on _Destiny_, and I don't like taking chances," said Hank solemnly.

Everett was somewhat shocked and asked, "How is that possible? We got Markins locked up and we're hoping you will take him off our hands ASAP."

Hank gave him the bad news. "A certain Marine Corporal Luffe was found dead in his apartment by a family friend who didn't know he was supposed to be out of town, and made the discovery of Luffe's body slumped in the toilet. No visible wounds were found, but our team discovered death was by a double Zat'nik'tel blast. One of the problems since disclosure is the arrival of new weapons on the black market, so it's hard to tell who the shooter was. We believe it is the Ori behind all this, being that—no offense to anyone here—aliens come and go from Earth at their leisure, without any checks. So, since the Ori are human, they just blend in and we are finding it difficult to," Hank looked for the right words, "keep tabs on them all."

* * *

><p>Everett wanted immediate action to arrest the Corporal. "Well what are we waiting for, contact <em>Destiny<em> and..."

Hank cut him off, "Hold your horses General, not so fast." He let Everett calm down for a moment before continuing. "We have decided to use this mole to our advantage. He is either waiting to sabotage the ship, report on your position or events that are planned. Now that we know who he is, we can assume that he believes he is still undiscovered after you arrested Markins."

Saying Everett was concerned was an understatement; pissed off was more like it. "So I have to just let this joker play his game and keep watch? What if it is too late?"

Hank smiled at him, "If it were too late my friend, we believe you would not be here." Everett shook his head as Hank continued. "Our plan is to use this guy as a pawn and feed him some bogus information that, well, sounds credible. This will involve the very real action of _Destiny_ traveling into the Ori galaxy through the Supergate not far from here. This one is the biggest we have encountered at nearly a mile and a quarter wide. The largest one we knew of was a mile across, this one has an event horizon diameter of two thousand meters."

Everett conceded that they already had a plan and _Destiny_ and his crew would be just another cog in the mesh of military tactics. "Okay, so it's more than big enough for _Destiny_ to fit. I just hope the one at the other end is too."

Daniel told him, "The information we have is that it is the same size, but there is a fail-safe that would stop you if the gate you dialed was smaller the one you're entering from." Everett looked at him as Daniel elaborated, "Um, big gate can't dial small gate which seems to be basic commonsense."

Hank continued to outline the plan. "We are guessing that the Ori will be tipped off and know that you are coming, and being as arrogant as they can be, will try to disable and board the ship rather than destroy it. Even if ten of their ships were waiting, you will still be able to jump into FTL immediately."

Everett reminded them, "You know we have a cool down period between jumps, otherwise the drive will burnout. We have overridden it in the past, but that puts a massive strain on it. How do you intend for us to jump back into FTL after we exit the gate?"

Hank looked to Asgard Sága saying, "We have a plan, I'll let Dr Jackson and Sága explain."

Sága began. "I have created an upgrade for the Ancient FTL drive units which will regulate the drive cores while not in use and under load. This modification will allow for instant FTL drive without the need for cool down period as a permanent solution. In the words of Dr Jackson, he has referred it to an Earth vehicle saying, 'It is like shifting to neutral with the engine still running, where you can stop and start at will by simply putting it back in Drive'. Of course you will be able to shut the FTL drive down entirely, which will then require the normal cool down period before re-entering FTL."

Everett nodded his understanding. "So how long will this take to install, and do you want me to keep this under wraps from our new "friend", or make a point of it?"

Daniel replied, "It is only a matter of changing some crystals over to handle the new programming, and about an hour's work on each drive unit—and I think keeping this to a minimum of people would be best for now anyway."

Everett didn't really like any of this, but he knew there were greater minds than his in the planning, he said, "I know this has been all planned out, but what happens if they close down the Supergate and stop us from returning home? It is a hell of a long way back to where we are now; it could take years to return under FTL." He paused before asking, "So what is the rest of the plan? Am I allowed to know?"

Hank walked over to Everett and sat down in the empty seat beside him. "Not all of it, for good reason. Sometimes the less you know, the more unlikely you are to make a mistake. I can't tell you all the details but your ship is the decoy, and when we arrive, it will be like the outer space version of WWII D-day."

Everett finally smiled, "Bring the noise hey?"

Hank replied quietly, "The Ori won't know what hit them"

Everett had one last question, "What if this fails?"

Hank said it straight, "Then we're screwed, and it will become every man and ship for themselves." He looked around at everyone there, "My advice if this fails—no scrap that, my _orders_ are: if this fails, get a full tank of gas, and get the hell out of Dodge as fast as you can. Don't look back, don't go back, and don't bother contacting Earth, as it probably won't exist after a few days. This is our last hope of completely destroying the Ori forever. If we fail, there won't be anything left to fight back with."

Hank took another deep breath and continued, "So, I'm counting on victory and your friends to help us out. Cameron will transmit your orders when the time comes, along with everyone else. That will be all, General Young—you can go home now." Hank smiled broadly at Everett and touched his shoulder affectionately saying, "Take care of everyone my friend, your part in this is greater than you think. Oh, and we have traded your F302's for the upgraded F302V's, same fighter, more of _everything!_" Before Everett could answer he was beamed back to _Destiny's_ bridge.

A very well dressed Te'arly was waiting for him. "I was getting lonely all by myself my love." she grinned coyly at him and teased him with her eyes. "I see they have been keeping you busy again?"

Everett couldn't look into this woman's eyes and not feel anything but how lucky he was to have her in his life. Te'arly could bring a smile on anyone who met her, regardless of how they felt at the time; but Everett was hers, and she was betrothed to him which made their bond infinite.

Standing there in front of everyone General Everett Young said the first thought that spilled from his lips without warning, to the woman who was his soul mate.

"Marry me!"

Te'arly's first look was of unexpected shock, but that vanished within milliseconds as she stood there and happily cried,

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The bridge went from stunned silence to a roar of cheers and tears as Everett and Te'arly embraced in a very passionate kissing contest. The news spread across _Destiny_ like a wild fire, but it wasn't without an air of caution as scuttlebutt of a mission to an unknown galaxy also began to circulate too.

* * *

><p>Light years away on Valeya, a very relaxed Chloe "felt" something come to the center of her consciousness that made her pay attention and listen carefully. The good news came first, followed by something much more unsettling, as Matt noticing the immediate change from Chloe's serene state.<p>

He asked instinctively, "Honey, what's wrong?"

She turned to Matt and replied, "Everett just asked Te'arly to marry him!" but the look on her face was not that of joy.

Matt smiled at first but then noticed Chloe's reaction and asked cautiously, "Okay, that's awesome; but why the long face?"

She replied, "Matt, there is something else going on, and it doesn't sound good. _Destiny_ has passed me a message from General Young –he said to stay put and tell Valhalla we might need some help soon." Chloe was trembling slightly waiting for Matt to ask the dreaded question.

He asked, but in a caring way, "What's going on Chloe, I know you know, so please tell me."

Chloe took a deep breath and sighed just as Valhalla walked in the room, causing Chloe to hold off from speaking.

The very elegant looking Valhalla said, "Go on Chloe, this is part of your journey too; tell him what _Destiny_ has shared with your mind."

Chloe looked back to Matt. She loved him dearly and knew his reaction would be to get back and help, but it was out of the question at this time. "They're taking _Destiny_ through a Supergate into the Ori galaxy, and we have been told to stay here."

Matt was straight on to it, "Like hell we will."

Chloe cut him off by placing her hands on the sides of his face and said softly, "It wasn't a request from General Young; it was your direct order. For some reason he needs us to stay here."

Now it was Matt's turn to interject, "If Everett thinks he is keeping us safe by _ordering_ me to stay."

Valhalla touched Matt gently on the forearm and said, "No Matthew, he is not trying to keep you safe, _he needs you_ to help from here." She turned her attention to Chloe, "Please Chloe, tell him what you see."

Chloe closed her eyes and kept hold of Matt's face and allowed him to feel her love from within as she spoke. "You have to command a Valeyian warship, and will have shared control of their entire fleet. The IGA are planning an all out attack on the Ori, not the people, but Genesis and his Priors are the targets. Castell must be freed before he is turned. _Destiny_ is acting as a decoy and heading straight to the twin planets. They will arrive at the Supergate in a few hours and jump through, after that, war will come to the Galaxy of the Ori for a final time."

Matt took it all in and remained silent for a few moments before looking at Valhalla and asking, "How many ships do you have in the fleet?"

Valhalla smiled as she told him, "Three hundred battleships, over five hundred support ships, and fifty destroyer class ships. All have the latest Valeyian technology, shields, and weaponry. We have more than ten thousand fighter spacecraft we call Leapers, and all have quantum hyperspace drives, faster than Earth's Enterprise class." Valhalla looked warmly at both of them before bowing slightly to Matt as she said, "Captain Scott, they are at your disposal."

Matt was stunned. "Holy crap! Now that's some serious firepower!" He looked at Valhalla slyly and asked cautiously, "I thought you were a peace loving race? You guys seem to be very well armed."

Valhalla answered back reflectively, "In years past, we had to fight for our freedom too Matthew; and we are prepared to do it again at any moment. Commander Odin is head of our fleet and will assist you with your duties. I expect Chloe may want to pilot alongside you?"

Chloe felt a rush of excitement surge through her as she gracefully accepted the chance to fly a Valeyian battleship. "Yes I would if that is possible."

Valhalla laughed, "Don't be so modest Chloe, I know you want too. Now, Captain Scott," she said in a semi serious voice, "You may recognize the look of our battleships, as they are almost identical in outside appearance to the old Aurora class battleships the Alterans used in the Pegasus galaxy, except for a wider tail wing to accommodate our quantum drive engines. Our Destroyers are a unique design and were created only three thousand years ago to fight against an aggressive oppressor. They are a prolate spheroid, akin to shape of the ball in your game of 'football', with a centrally located internal bridge and living decks. The weaponry will astound you, being capable of taking out a fleet of Ori warships in minutes, or if needed, we have the capability to erase a planet."

To say Matt was stunned would be an understatement as he just shook his head saying, "What?! You can take out a whole planet?" he just stared at Valhalla, "But why?"

Valhalla seemed to lose some of her calm composure as she decided if telling Matt why was warranted. "There is a chapter in our history similar to the Alterans fight against the Wraith. It was believed at the time, that the only way to secure peace was with the all out destruction of our enemy's world. We had the technologies to either create a pathogen, or create a chain reaction causing a planet core implosion. The latter was decided as it removed the chance of any survivors from their world, and before you ask, yes we have used it; but only once."

Both Matt and Chloe stood in front of a woman they had come to admire and respect greatly, but now there weren't so certain about her people. "You took out a planet to remove an enemy? It sounds like a harsh punishment to me, major overkill!" said Matt cautiously.

Valhalla could plainly see their uneasiness about it. "You are right Matthew; it was an atrocity on our part at the time. It was decided that this weapon should never be deployed again, and it never has. Capability is one thing, making the decision to use a capability is entirely different, as you would understand. However it is pertinent to know that this act happened about 2950 years ago. I and Castell were not yet born at that time, and no one is alive today that was involved. So I understand you becoming unsettled by this. We also know that Earth's history is marred by such appalling decisions that may have been made in times of war, just look at the recent destruction of the planet that brought you to _Destiny_, or the war with the replicators in the Pegasus Galaxy. In both events, it was the SGC's actions that contributed toward the destruction of both worlds."

Matt looked Valhalla in the eyes knowing his conscience was not clear either. He knew he had been ordered to do things, and had done things in order to survive or protect his people. "I am sorry if you felt that I judged you on the actions of others, I know we have made some harsh decisions that have taken many lives presently, and before my time. Yes, Earth has a history of atrocity and war against innocent people in times of past and present—but we also share much in common with you—we have the ability to learn from our misgivings, and change our future history. With time, I am certain we will evolve into a species that shows compassion, not greed," he replied with heartfelt sincerity.

Valhalla moved to Matt with a slight tear in her eye and hugged both him and Chloe together as she whispered to them, "Such wise words for a young child," she sniffled slightly and stood back from the embrace, "We have so much hope for your race young Matthew Scott, and _I am sure_ through people like you, it will be achieved." She composed herself and got down to business. "Right, there is one more thing: control of firing the Core Weapon on the Destroyer requires the collective consciousness of four Commanders to activate it. To do this, they must first all agree that it is the only option left, so it is not something easily achieved. I don't foresee you having the need, but you are required to understand the process. Commander Odin will brief you on the protocols of our ships."

Valhalla looked caringly at the two humans in front of her that she thought of as her own children. "Please, be wise and compassionate in your decisions; and bring my husband home to me."

Matt wanted to promise her, but knew he couldn't. "We will do _everything _in our power to achieve that_, I promise!_"

Valhalla understood saying, "Now I will return in a short time to take you to Commander Odin. Chloe, your mother Patricia will be better off staying here with me until this is over. Don't worry, we can return her to Earth anytime she desires." Chloe thanked Valhalla, knowing her mom would stay until she returned safely.

* * *

><p>Back on <em>Destiny<em> M Sgt. Greer had quickly located Corporal Luffe, requesting his assistance with a heavily armed ground search team. Only one other trusted Marine knew what their real orders were, leaving no one else in the team aware of the full situation.

Greer gave Sgt. Wallace an outline of the plan. "We really need to see what his next move is going to be. Being surrounded by guns will either shut him down, or draw him out into action. They know we're headed toward a Supergate, but where too is still classified. I can't risk any of the other men tipping him off, so it will have to remain black for now."

Sgt. John Wallace nodded in agreeance with his Co but asked, "If he makes a move that endangers the men?"

Greer smiled, "You know the answer to that. Be aware that we will most likely be walking into a trap with him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was to find himself expendable from his own side either. We have no idea what his is capable of, or if he can communicate with his minders, so just stay alert to anything outside the norm."

Wallace tapped his fist to Greer's saying, "Loud and clear Sir!"

On the bridge of _Destiny_ Dr Rush was at the controls headed for the Supergate. He called out to Everett, "Ev, about forty minutes before we reach the gate, do you want to do a test on this new drive system, or just pray they got it right?"

Everett walked over beside him and rested his hand on the top of the Chair. "I'd love to, but no. We can't risk tipping anyone off, onboard or out there." He turned to Eli at the front CI panel, "All under control Eli?"

Eli turned with some concern on his face, which was more about the mission than the drive modifications. "I have gone over the simulations time and time again General; there shouldn't be any issues but I'm on it if there is." Eli turned back to his CI screen.

A message alert came onto Nick's CI screen. "Warning, black hole detected. Shall I alter course?"

Nick spoke rather than type back. "No _Destiny_, I'm afraid that is where we are headed for—but hopefully not to close to cause any damage."

Everett looked back to Nick saying, "Why a black hole?"

Nick smiled, "In order to power the Supergate over such a great distance, you need a very big power source. From what Colonel Carter has noted, they could keep it open indefinitely using a black hole. The gate draws in energy, so in reality if you shoot at it while it's working, it will only absorb the energy of the shot. There is a bit more to it than that of course, but in layman's terms that's about the size of it. Also makes them very hard to destroy if we wanted to."

Everett nodded admitting that a higher understanding of how things work sometimes got the better of him. He called back to Eli, "How's the dialing program we got from Apollo going Eli?"

This time Eli smiled back. "All good thanks to Colonel Carter; unless they have added a few more safeguards, we should be able to dial any Supergate we find. I have also converted the program to run from any kino pad, shuttle, or F302 so anyone should be able to access the gate. Just remember, you can dial from small to big, but not the other way."

Everett acknowledged him with a smiling nod. "Okay Eli, I'll let them know."

Eli asked, or more to the point said, "General Young, I'm not really sure about this Sir. I mean, I trust your judgment and all, but this just seems way off to what we normally do."

Everett walked over to him. "I don't like this very much either Eli; in fact, I go so far as to say I'm actually scared about this mission. There are a million things that can go wrong with something like this, but they try to factor in the "X" part of it. But being scared is sensible to, as it keeps you thinking on your feet and _aware_ of your surroundings. I have only met one man that hasn't been afraid to go into battle, and he tried to take over our ship. Now he is with someone I would call my closest friend; I can only imagine what both of them have endured from the Ori, not that I care for one of them!"

Eli felt a surge of anger rising from within his core. "That bastard deserves whatever the Ori dish out to him; if only I had my time again," he said angrily.

Ginn was beside him and put her hand on his knee saying passionately. "He will get what bestows him Honey. The universe has a way of making wrongs right."

Everett reminded them all of what it was they were facing as he redirected Eli's attention to more pressing issues. "Have you input the course to the twin planets that _Apollo_ gave us yet Eli?"

Eli answered, "Yes Sir. It will take about two days at max FTL speed to reach them, from the info supplied about the arrival Supergate's position according to Dr Jackson."

Ginn got a quick private video call from TJ on her CI screen. "I think someone needs mommy," said TJ, "she's a little bit hungry!"

Ginn could see where she needed to be saying to Eli quickly, "Honey, I gotta go." and pointed to the screen.

Eli looked across smiling and waving at the screen with his little girl and TJ. "Go on, get!" he said jokingly to her followed by "Love you!" as Ginn rushed out of the bridge.

Te'arly was still on the bridge, but had the same thought as Ginn. She said to Everett, "I better go too, Hadrian will be feeding soon. Goodbye my Love," and kissed him deliberately on the lips, sending tingles through his soul.

Everett looked blankly at the CI screen that was now in front of him, trying to make sense of what this master plan was all about.

A personal message came on his screen from _Destiny_. "General Young, Captain Scott is ready with the Valeyian fleet, as requested by the _Apollo 2011_. I have contacted Chloe Armstrong with their required details about the mission. Is there anything further you require from me before we enter Ori occupied space?"

Everett was somewhat taken back by _Destiny's_ question. He quickly typed back, "How do you know more than I do about this mission?"

The reply from _Destiny_ was very "human". "While in contact with the _Apollo 2011_, I scanned _Apollo's _communication transmission backups after receiving the orders to contact Chloe and Matthew. It is a standard protocol procedure to eliminate any corruption of the data transferred. However I may have scanned more than was allowed, as the Valeyian Databank took over and imprinted a complete copy of all the data available. It was then transmitted over a secure Valeyian micro quantum-link, to a 99.9999% probability of Valeya. The exact destination was not made clear to my sensors, although the direction of transmission mirrored my own mapping data of the planet."

Everett typed back with a smile on his face. "You are becoming more human every minute that passes. Please take that as a compliment. Now, what else can you tell me of this plan?"

_Destiny_ ran a script that outlined the entire plan to Everett discretely, but requested that he keep the information from the others. He was not surprised by the idea, but he was by the sheer numbers of fleet ships from many races, and the firepower available. He thought back to Landry's last orders, "If it goes to hell, get a full tank of gas, and get out of Dodge". With the "sneaky" unauthorized information _Destiny_ had obtained, he feared what was to come. The stakes were high, the enemy was tough, and soon he would be entering into the most dangerous mission they may ever face. This was an all-out attack run with no room for error, or prisoners; it would become a case of kill or be killed.

And two of them had the most precious cargo in _their own universe_ to keep safe.

Everett stopped contemplating, and began a course of direct action! He ordered his Airmen to high alert status and had every available F-302V in _Destiny's_ hanger fully armed with Valeyian Antimatter (enhanced) Sub Space Warheads (VASSWDs). Once they had exited the Supergate and returned to FTL speed, his plan was to momentarily drop from FTL after one hour, just long enough to launch four F-302Vs which would then travel independently along the same course as back up for _Destiny_.

The new upgraded F-302V's had the latest shielding (combination of Valeyian and Asgard technology), being able to withstand many* direct hits from an Ori warship beam weapon (*how many is still unknown, due to the drain on the generator under combat conditions). They are also capable of carrying; four Mark IX warheads, eight Mark VIII warheads, or twenty VASSWDs.

The standard rail guns remained, while one Asgard Beam weapon was replaced with a new Valeyian Quantum Disruptor Canon (QDC), with the effects of this weapon yet to be seen under combat conditions. The main advance of the fighter is the installation of the Ur'torina Generator, replacing the Naquadria hyperspace window generator, allowing real interstellar travel in hyperspace for periods of up to two weeks. After this, the unit must be given time to cool down and regenerate for at least ten hours, longer is better. Short trips in hyperspace (up to 150 hours) do not require lengthy cool down periods in between, only needing about half an hour to refresh before re-entering hyperspace, although this cannot be done continually.

In the hanger, Adam gave the love of his life one last hug as Captain Tez prepared to be one of the "four" who would protect _Destiny_ at all costs.

Adam said as he held her, "Are you sure about this, we do have other pilots?"

Tez kissed his neck quickly as she held on to him. "Shhh," she said, "Just enjoy the moment." Finally she had to pull away from him and collect her thoughts. "I don't want to do this either, but it is my duty to protect those that have given me everything, without asking anything in return. Everett didn't order me to do this, I volunteered."

Adam knew the woman he fell for was one of a kind and if he lost her, he didn't want to contemplate what his life would become. All he understood right now was that he had a bad feeling about this; all of this. "Please Tez, don't make any rash decisions out there. I want you to come home safe to me," Adam was almost pleading with her.

Tez grabbed his hands with hers. "Look Baby, we have the craziest advanced fighters ever. They are so much better than the old ones and I feel very confident in my abilities to keep out of trouble out there. And besides, who would you rather have protecting that cute little ass, me, or some kid fresh out of flight training?" She reached around and grabbed a cheeky handful of Adams butt and squeezed it gently. "I'll be fine Baby; trust me," she kissed him passionately one more time before tearing herself away from the man that gave her world meaning again. "I love you!" she backed off and headed toward the F-302V and her flight briefing.

Everett had given the orders, and both the civilian and military crew alike was busy getting them done. Eli finally announced they were five minutes out, and would be dropping from FTL in four. Everyone was nervous as the announcement was made over the ships com system.

_Destiny_ dropped from FTL and continued at sublight speed toward an object that was vaguely detectable to the human eye. As she closed in the outline of the Supergate began to come into focus, until they stopped only five kilometers out, but off to port to avoid the unstable vortex blast.

Nick said aloud, "FTL drive is in neutral; all systems are functioning as normal, ready to initiate drive on your command Ev."

Franklin stared at the sheer size of the two kilometer ring. "My God; it's massive!"

In the distance they could see the accretion disk of the black hole from where the Supergate drew its power.

Nick replied somewhat bewildered, "I've never seen a black hole up this close; amazing."

Everett took a deep breath and sighed. "Okay people, this is it."

"Eli; dial the gate!"


	36. Chapter 36

SGU s04 e16

Time

Eli dialed the sequence to the Ori galaxy hoping that it would work. Bluish sparks flashed between the segments like lightening, causing the Supergate to come alive as it began to lock in the address.

Nick lent over in Everett's ear saying, "Are you sure about this?"

A collected Everett replied, "I'm not sure about anything to do with this mission." He looked up to Nick, "But we are going through this gate no matter what!"

Nick could see his determination and decided not to push his buttons with argumentative questions, instead replying, "I'll keep an eye open for any transmissions once the gate opens."

They all watch as the massive vortex wave sprung out from the center of the Supergate.

Everett said the moment it settled down, "Full shields Eli; Franklin, take us in."

Franklin moved _Destiny_ around to face the gate and said quietly to himself. "_Here we go,"_ before moving her into the Supergate.

The weird sounds and wormhole rings passed by as they traveled to the other side, re-emerging to empty space. The Supergate closed behind them, but it was another anomaly that first caught their attention. A protective force field raised itself across the opening of the gate.

Eli said it first. "Oh crap, there's a force field across the front of the gate!"

* * *

><p>Everett ordered, "Get what info you can Eli, you have thirty seconds then we jump!"<p>

Eli and Nick both wanted to say, "Thirty seconds?!"

But instead they used the time to gather as much data about the force field as they could. Getting through this was paramount to their escape plan.

All too soon time was up with Franklin reporting calmly, "Two Ori warships just dropped out of hyperspace, do you want to engage them?"

Everett stayed focused, "Not unless we have to defend ourselves. Eli, Rush, do you have enough data about the shield yet?"

Franklin stayed calm in his response, "General, they're charging weapons, _Destiny's_ are online and a firing solution is active." He kept his nerve staying composed. "They're closing in Ev; we have twenty seconds before they are too close to protect _Destiny_ from the blast radius."

Everett yelled forcefully, "Rush, Eli; now!"

Eli concurred with Nick, "Got it Rush?" Nick nodded quickly. "Punch it Franklin!" he said.

Franklin threw _Destiny's_ FTL drive back into the preverbal "D" mode, and she blurred and regained FTL speed in the blink of an eye.

Everett said with a smile on his face, "Well, at least that worked!" his smile disappeared as Nick reported what they had believed would happen, in fact did.

Rush said, "Everett, a transmission was detected the moment we exited from the Supergate. It's encrypted, but I'm sure we can crack it."

Everett nodded as his suspicions were confirmed and said, "Yeah, hate to think we knew that would happen but at least we had some warning. Decrypt it as soon as you can; at least we're safe in FTL for the next forty three hours—I will launch the fighters in about an hour."

Nick smiled, "Two days; going to feel like four." He moved back to his CI screen and worked on the message data.

Everett walked over to Eli at the right hand forward CI screen and said. "If you need some time Eli, now would probably be good. Just stay within reach if you don't mind."

Eli looked back to him, noticing quickly that Everett's eyes said it all. Eli replied, "Yeah; yeah I do."

As Eli left the bridge, Everett asked Franklin and Nick if all was under control; to which they replied yes. His answer was simple, "Call if you need me, I'll be in my quarters."

As Everett left the bridge, elsewhere on the ship another saga was playing out. Greer and Wallace were discussing the issue that was before them.

Ronald told Sgt Wallace, "Rush sent me a quick message about a transmission that went off just as the gate opened. Did you see anything?"

Sgt Wallace shook his head, "No, he didn't move. I was standing beside him the whole time, so either it was timed or sent remotely, or we have the wrong guy."

Greer twisted his face slightly while mulling the information over. He said reluctantly, "If he sent it remotely, he would need a trigger. Without that, it would have to be activated by the Supergate opening. Otherwise, how would he be able to guess the exact time we would dial the gate?"

Wallace replied. "He wouldn't. We have no way of knowing when the gate was dialed in here. My money's on a device triggered by the Supergate opening. Question is, where is the transmitter now?"

Greer smiled at Sgt. Wallace. "I know one way to find out, but for now that will have to wait. I don't want to tip him off that we're on to him just yet. We may need him for something else." Greer and Wallace went back to the men with some new orders.

Sgt. Wallace made the call. "Okay people listen up! In about an hour we will be launching fighters for extra protection. Now these new _F-302V's_ have got better weapons, shields and long distance hyper-drives. Our mission is a snatch and grab from where we believe the hostage or hostages are being kept. At this time we are still awaiting further intelligence on their location, but from all accounts we are looking at either a planet, or an Ori mother-ship, possibly of a different design to what we have seen so far. When we have eyes on target it's game time. Until then, I need you to stay ready to move at a moment's notice but you can relax for twenty minutes until we know more." He watched Corporal Luffe closely as the men rested their heavy gear for the time being.

Sgt Wallace caught the Ron's ear. "Do you think telling him about the _F-302V's_ was the right move?"

Greer replied with certainty, "Yeah I do. Let's see if he makes a move to send another message; keep an eye on him Sergeant."

Wallace smiled, "Will do Sir," he said as Greer walked away.

* * *

><p>In <em>Destiny's<em> hanger, a very busy crew of twelve was arming the fighters with warheads and other supplies. The pilots were in a crash course on the new technology by one of the most well known SGC Officers from _Apollo 2011_, who had volunteered to stay aboard _Destiny_ and help with the mission. Colonel Samantha Carter had an abundance of information for the pilots and navigators, as she had been heavily involved in the upgraded _F-302V_ design. Her knowledge of the Ori and their known tactics was also invaluable information to pass on.

As Sam was finishing up the briefing, Everett entered the hanger and walked up to her. "I hope you know what you're doing here," he said jokingly and smiled at her.

Sam replied, "It's good to see you too General, sorry that Colonel Mitchell beamed me in without your knowledge."

Everett was dismissive of the oversight and laughed. "He likes to sneak one past me every now and then, but it's a pleasure to have you aboard." He put his hand out to her and said solemnly, "I'm glad you're here Sam; I don't know how this is going to pan out though."

Sam replied with a smile, "I volunteered for this General, I thought you guys could use an extra pilot since Captain Scott and Chloe are not here. Besides that, I'm the best one to teach your crew about the new _F-302V's_."

Everett asked out of curiosity, "So how well do these perform in combat?"

Sam shook her head but kept her smile and gave a little giggle. "Well; that remains to be seen! We had some trouble with the first prototype Ur'torina Generators due to the size, compared to the Naquadria units, but the Asgard and Ursini managed to reduce the size of the unit to about twice that of the original Naquadria unit, which only required minor modifications internally to accommodate it. The advantages of nearly one hundred times greater output far outweighed the size issue."

Everett was taking it all in, but he still had some questions for Sam. "Can I ask what happens if something goes wrong?"

Samantha looked over to one of the fighters, then back to Everett and said, "There is an ejection seat as per normal for inter-atmosphere issues" she paused and looked him squarely in the eyes, "But if it's in space; the pod would be too slow to escape in. The unfortunate side effect of the generator going critical is thermonuclear. The pods are simply not shielded enough to survive the explosion. The recommendation is – unique—for now; find the nearest target." Sam wasn't happy they didn't have the time to fix this major flaw in the fighter's design.

Everett took a deep breath, sighed, and shook his head. "Did you tell them that?"

Samantha's regretful expression told the story. "I was very clear on that point General, they all understood the order."

Sam moved to the more positive aspects of the new fighter. "Please don't forget though, we have shielding technology the likes of which not even the Asgard have seen or been able to create. The new helmets have thought processing and retinal scanning weapons control. The pilot only needs to glimpse a target and have a thought to take it out, as the weapons system will track all targets and create a firing solution. The_ F-302V's_ computer has the ability to fire the correct weapon before the pilot could hit the button. One other new survival technique is called the Hyperspace Loop. If you are under severe attack or defenseless, the _F-302V_ will jump into hyperspace to clear the area, and allow the pilot full control to either escape, regroup or re-enter behind the enemy. We have tried to make them as bulletproof as possible before anyone ever needs to use the last resort."

Everett knew she was passionate about doing the best they could to save lives, even though sometimes it may cost one. He replied honestly, "Thank you Sam, I know you will do your best to help them."

As _Destiny_ readied to once again drop from FTL and launch the_ F-302V's_, far away, another new menacing ship was having a final inspection by Genesis—as he was told the news of _Destiny's_ arrival in his galaxy.

Laughter was the order as his loyal Prior gave him the message. "My lord Genesis, the Ancient ship _Destiny_ has entered our galaxy by the Supergate from the Valeyian Galaxy. My spy has confirmed they are on a rescue mission to save the unholy one."

Genesis stopped his boisterous laughter. "Oh my; I'm so scared! Is that tiny little ship trying to save their friend?" He lifted the Prior's bowed head and looked him in the eyes. "Get the "unholy one" as you put it, and bring him to me. I would like to show him—our new ship design—and see what he thinks. Bring him to me now!"

The Prior backed away, bowing after Genesis let him go, "Yes my lord Genesis, immediately!"

Genesis turned back to his right hand Prior. "Continue with your description of my new ship Prior Abarchus, while we wait for my uncle to arrive."

Abarchus nodded gracefully to his Master. "Yes my Lord. As you can see all of your specifications have be adhered too. The knowledge gained from the Ursini ship _Porta Galassie_, has aided in our new shields and weapons' designs. We also now possess Asgard beaming technology for both inanimate items and living beings."

Genesis smiled broadly. "Excellent! And what of the new drive system?"

Prior Abarchus kept his explanation simple. "The Ur'torina Drive system was not fully comprehended before the ship was destroyed. As we have never seen technology like it, we are missing far too many pieces of information to recreate it in full working order. As it stands, we do not have the ability to use it at all until we can gather the required information. Capturing another _Enterprise class_ ship will give us the required data to complete our work."

Genesis hated failure, but he made an exception this time upon being impressed with what technology they had managed to hack form the ill-fated _Porta Galassie_. "Very well Prior Abarchus. I will order the capture of the next _Enterprise Class_ ship we engage in battle. What has become the alternative drive system?"

The Prior continued. "In the information taken from _Galassie_ databank we have been able to construct a Star Drive system of the same design as used in the Ancient City ships. The data contained fully translated diagrams and calculations from a Tau'ri called Dr Rodney McKay, who is involved with Ancient City ship _Atlantis_. The Star Drive power source –known as a Zero Point Module— was easily exchanged for assimilation to our energy power systems."

Genesis sat down in the Control Chair of the familiar looking Ori Bridge and replied, "This ship looks the same, but is twice the size of our other Warships, with greater technology." He looked straight at Abarchus with a cold stare, "For the light of the Ori, and for your own life Abarchus, it better not fail!"

A Prior approached with several guards in tail, and Castell in chains. "Lord Genesis, here is the prisoner you requested," said the Prior while slightly bowing.

Genesis smiled again upon seeing Castell. "Oh come, come; does he have to be chained like a beast? He is _family_ after all." Castell's restraints were immediately removed by the guards.

Even after what Castell had endured over a few months, his "recharge" from Everett had helped to remind him of those who would do all they can to help. He said with some small amount of gratitude to Genesis, "Thank you nephew."

Genesis replied without emotion, "I trust you will behave yourself then uncle?"

Castell nodded. "Yes." He paused a moment before adding, "Nice new ship you have here nephew, does it have all the upgrades you stole from the poor Ursini?"

He answered emotionlessly, "They had a choice to become one under Origin, but alas, they refused. I could have just jettisoned them all into space now couldn't I?" said Genesis, "But I was gracious and allowed them to enter stasis. It was _your friends_ that destroyed their ship, not me."

Castell couldn't resist his own trouble making sense of humor. "A little bird tells me you didn't get everything you wanted –like a Ur'torina Drive?"

Genesis retaliated quickly, but kept smiling at him. "Uncle, it would be unwise of you to allow your attitude to dictate my next action. I have extended you a small civility and warn you for the last time –do not test me!"

Castell bit his tongue and only nodded a sincere understanding. He knew that Everett would be walking into a trap which was likely to end in failure and the death of everyone he cared about, so with nothing to lose he asked, "_Destiny_ is on her way, isn't she?"

Genesis gave him the answer he expected. "Yes, your friends are in the galaxy and hiding in hyperspace I would imagine. They will definitely attack and probably destroy some of our ships, but they're no match for this ship –and that is why you are here to watch their demise. I thought they might like to rescue an old friend of theirs first, only to learn that you are –indisposed—having no chance of escape. Your friends only possess less than twenty ships. How do you think they will fair against the might of a full Ori Warship fleet of over five hundred?" Genesis saw the sadness in his uncle's eyes and laughed.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in the outer reaches of Subspace, Captain Matthew Scott and the new Mrs Chloe Scott—Armstrong, (having decided to keep her last name in tribute to her father), were in control of a Valeyian Battle ship. Commander Odin was close at hand standing in front of the forward controls facing the main screen, already impressed with young Chloe's navigational and natural piloting abilities. The Commander was a very well built man with dark olive skin, and a smooth hairless face and cranium. He rarely smiled nor did he give out many compliments to his crew, but he was a very compassionate man with a strong sense of moral compass. As the two from <em>Destiny<em> would find out, he was very hard on the outside—but a kind and gentle soul for his 1100 years, (although he looked to us in his mid thirties). When the commander spoke, Matt was thinking to himself how much his deep toned voice reminded him of Barry White.

Odin turned to face Chloe. "Young Mrs Scott", he bellowed in his deep voice, "Once we emerge from Quantum space, please engage the ship's cloak."

Chloe answered efficiently, "Yes Commander Odin."

Still looking directly at Chloe, the Commander's softer side shone through for a fleeting moment. "Since you are our guest here, _Commander_ is fine." He turned to Matt, "But not to you Captain Matthew Scott." Odin gave a quick wink to Chloe, who smiled.

Matt took him very seriously, respectfully replying in full military style. "Yes Sir, Commander Odin!"

The Commander asked Chloe casually, "How long until we drop from Quantum?"

Chloe again smile at him. "In about fifteen Valeyian hours* Commander." (*1 Earth hr = 1.5 Valeyian hrs).

Matt sat in the Commander's Chair and watched the unusual reddish brown patterns of Quantum Drive travel, vastly different to what had become the normal of _Destiny's_ FTL drive, or the Stargate. It was an eerie tunnel of light, like a twisting vortex that gave the impression of moving down a gun barrel. Matt was thinking to himself, _I feel like I'm looking out from inside a bullet,_ trying to relate it to something familiar.

The arm of Matt's seat suddenly began to give a pulsing vibration, alerting him to a secure communication from one of the other Battle ships. "Commander Odin", he said clearly, "We have an incoming message from the Battle Ship _Iglasis_".

Odin was kind but abrupt, "On Screen Captain Scott!"

The main screen flickered to a picture of another Valeyian Second Commander named Warenz, standing on the bridge of his ship. He was vastly different from Odin, having several ear and nose piercings, and a Valeyian language tattoo written vertically down the side of his right cheek that looked like Chinese characters. He was pale white with broad shoulders and spiky short blond hair and a very fierce expression adorned his face as he spoke.

"Odin my good friend, our scouts have returned. We have located the twin planets and estimate around five hundred and thirty five Ori Warships and one other."

Odin raised his eyebrows, "One other?"

Warenz didn't seem fazed by it. "It is about twice the size of a normal Ori Mother-ship, but of similar design. We detected shielding technology around several ships of a similar design to our own, but it was strongest around the big one. I don't believe our Leapers were detected."

Odin turned to Matt who was thinking the same thought, and as he turned back around to face the screen Odin said, "The stolen technology from the Ursini ship. Did you detect the signature of the Ur'torina Drive?" he asked.

Commander Warenz showed some concern. "No, and I don't believe they have it operational, for the fact they would have to know that _Destiny_ has already come through the gate. Genesis would have personally intervened if he could, and I would bet the fleet on it that he is aboard that ship."

Odin cracked a smile at his good friend. "I trust your instincts too Waz, but we need hard facts and eyes on target in this case. If they have adapted our shielding technology, then all of the _Enterprise_ ships are at greater risk."

Matt stood out of the chair and interrupted, "Commander Odin, what are you saying?"

Odin spun around and drilled him. "I was not speaking with you Captain Scott!"

Matt felt like he was back in boot camp being hardened by his old Drill Sergeant and immediately apologized. "Sir, my apologies Commander Odin, Sir!"

Warenz asked rhetorically, "Who is the undisciplined creature in your chair?"

Odin faced the screen and smiled broadly saying, "An Earth creature I'm afraid; although the other one is much more in control of herself, and an excellent navigator."

Chloe tried not to laugh and looked over to Matt waving her pointer finger at him, and mouthed the words "Naughty boy" with a sexy look in her eyes.

Warenz continued. "Without underestimating, I would dare to say they have our weapons technology as well, which will make the need for surprise all that more necessary. We can adjust our shields to absorb any Asgard beam technology they may have, but if they have reproduced our subspace disruptors, it may be hard to defend. At least our Destroyers have subspace shields, so they should be our first line of defense, with some rear guard hidden throughout the solar system and galaxy."

Odin put his hand to his chin and dragged his pointer finger and thumb downward, in a repetitive gentle pinching motion as he contemplated the situation for a few moments.

Finally he replied. "Hmmm, underestimate we should not. That much is true. We must assume that they have adapted everything we gave the Alliance, except maybe for the drive. I would also suggest that Genesis would have a Stargate on his ship to block any external travel. What really concerns me is that _Destiny_ will drop from FTL into a trap surrounded by Ori ships. At that range, their shields may not hold up against the explosive force generated, by taking out multiple Ori Warships close in."

He paused for a moment looking for a solution. "We need to create a buffer between the Ori and _Destiny_. Maybe send a Destroyer to protect them, but remain cloaked until they are needed. I know that General Young and his crew will do everything they can to protect their own lives and _Destiny_. Either way we do this, there is great risk to many lives."

Warenz nodded in agreeance. "But if we fail, the whole universe will turn to shit! I for one, will not live under that little Fuck's Origin rubbish, and I will die trying to stop him if need be." Warenz smiled broadly at his highly respected friend. "I know just the person to pilot that Destroyer too," he turned to his crew, "Ready my Leaper—I will go."

The transmission ended with a nod from Odin. He then turned to Matt and shook his head, but said compassionately, "I trust you will not interrupt me like that again when I am addressing my staff, young Matthew?"

Matt was honest. "No Sir, I was out of line Commander Odin."

Odin finally smiled at him. "Some news is hard to hear when it affects those we care about. It takes great courage to make decisions based on facts and not emotions, something Humans have yet to learn properly." He allowed Matt time to ask anything he wanted.

There were many things on Matt's mind to ask, but he stuck to the most obvious. "Will the shields be ineffective on our _Enterprise_ Class ships against the Ori, Commander Odin?"

He answered directly. "Only if they have the ability to fire the subspace disruptor, the same weapon we equipped your ship with to fight the Ori. I don't believe all of their ships are able to, but if they can, it would have the same devastating effect." He paused for a moment before adding, "That is why my good friend has gone to protect _Destiny_ personally. Your ship is far more valuable than your Alliance realizes, in particular, one of your crew—and besides, fifty million years of travel is a lot of data to lose," he smiled broadly at Matthew.

Matt had to ask, "One of the crew?"

Odin's mind was now switching to other matters, so he kept it short. "Something that will become apparent in time, not of our immediate concern now." He changed the subject to the present. "Now, I know your race has fought against the Ori several times now, so let's get into some detail— shall we?"

Matt started from their first encounter...

* * *

><p>As <em>Destiny<em> continued along in FTL, now with four escort _F-302V's_, Adam Brody was at the forward gun controls with Eli in Kirk's chair. Several hours had passed since entering the Ori galaxy, and already they had encountered at least two Ori warships as they entered. Eli had spent a couple of hours with Ginn and their daughter Lala, but now he just sat and watched the stars go by in the distance beyond the eerie glow of FTL.

He recalled thoughts about how he came to be sitting in the captain's chair of an alien space craft that, at their best guess, was around fifty million years old. Soon enough his mind turned to the more special moments of being with Ginn, especially the first time they made love after she was given a second chance at life. Her words of "_I believe you just took my virtue..._" rippled through his mind as Eli's eyes began to close and he became sleepy. A short subspace transmission caused Eli's eyes to flutter open as he opened the channel to one of the their escort.

"_Destiny_, this is Captain Tez, are you receiving?"

Brody's ears immediately pricked up as he turned to hear Eli's answer. "This is _Destiny_ and your speaking with Eli, go ahead Captain," he replied.

"Eli, can you get Col. Carter on the line, I'm picking up some strange readings on my scanners and I'm not sure what it is." Tez sounded concerned.

Eli replied quickly, "I'll call her now Tez, hang on," Eli muted the radio. "Brody, check our scanners for anything unusual while I get Sam on the line". He opened the ship's com and called for Sam to pick up at the nearest point.

"This is Col. Carter Eli, what do you need?" she asked.

Eli replied, "I have Captain Tez on the line and she says her scanners are picking up some strange readings—I'll patch you through directly".

"Okay Eli, thanks" said Sam.

Body asked Eli, "Can we listen in on that?" as Eli connected them through.

Eli looked at him for a moment, then put his finger to his lips. "You won't be able to talk to them okay?"

Brody nodded as Eli crossed it to his CI console, and Adam heard what was going on, but missed the first couple of lines.

Sam: "...Okay, have you tried resetting the system?"

Tez: "Yes twice, but even after a reboot it was still giving off the same readings. I'm getting concerned Colonel."

Sam: "What is the reactor core temperature at?"

Tez: "It's at 900 deg Kelvin and stable within one percent. Hyper-drive systems are stable within normal readings, speed and navigation don't seem to be effected."

Sam: "Um... Try a systems check of the shield emitter probes and see if there are any radiation fluctuations externally. We may be traveling through an area of subspace with a higher background radiation, so the test should gather that info for us."

Adam looked at Eli with a very worried look on his face. "Eli, is it possible she has a radiation leak from the _302's_ generator itself?" he asked.

Eli tried to reassure him, but he had no idea himself. "I don't understand the technology in them, and I'd only be guessing." He smiled at Adam and then said, "What I do know is, Col. Carter is awesomely smart, and she knows these things inside out—we best just let her sort it out, that is what she's good at."

It was small comfort to Adam who kept on about it. "But they're dealing with antimatter—that stuff produces gamma radiation the moment it meets matter—."

Eli waved his hand and cut him off. "Brody, I know. But we don't know exactly what is going on, and you're making assumptions about it. Look, if that was Ginn in there, I'd be worried shitless about her too. As long as Col. Carter says it's okay, then we have to trust that she wouldn't put Tez in danger!" Eli had started to raise his voice, but then took a breath and calmed down. "Adam, how about we just ask Sam what is going on?"

Adam nodded, "Okay. And thanks Eli".

Eli checked to see if Sam was still in contact before asking, "Um Col. Carter, could you please come to the bridge if you have a minute?"

Sam answered, "I am a little busy Eli, is it important?"

Eli gazed at Adam seeing the fear in his eyes. "Yes Ma'am, it is," he replied.

Sam could sense the tone in his voice. "Okay Eli, give me a few minutes and I'll be there."

Adam wiped a tear away from the corner of his eye. "Thanks Eli."

Col. Carter arrived at the bridge a short time later, with Everett in tow. "Hello Eli, good to see you again—Dr Brody, hello."

Both Eli and Adam acknowledge Sam and Everett before Sam asked, "Okay, what did you need me for Eli?"

Eli felt a little dumbfounded at what to ask, but with the thought of _if that was Ginn,_ he soon found the words he needed. "Um, Ma'am, what is the issue with Captain Tez?"

Sam, not knowing the situation or why Eli was asking, looked firstly to Everett who gave an approving nod. "Okay. Well it's not a dangerous situation—."

* * *

><p>Adam interrupted, and said anxiously "But what?"<p>

Sam was a little taken back by Brody's sharp reaction, but then it dawned on her why, which caused Sam to ask, "Captain Tez and you—oh, okay now I understand." She replied as she nodded her head.

Eli added hesitantly, "Yeah, sorry about that but we heard some of the conversation."

Everett looked at Eli with understanding, but more like the way a disappointed father looks at their child when they have done something they shouldn't. "Eli, you know that was a private conversation between Col. Carter and Captain Tez."

Sam cut in. "It's okay General, I understand why." Sam took a breath and deep sighed. "She has an elevated radiation detection within the _302_. Now it is not dangerous, and is at a level of what would be the equivalent of flying maybe three times around the world in a high altitude plane. If you were to have long term exposure to this level it may be of some issue, but in long term I mean months or years of constant exposure. She is only in the _302_ for some hours."

Adam asked more calmly this time, "But I thought the _302's_ were shielded against radiation?"

Sam smiled. "Yes they are, both inside and out. The most logical explanation is that a minor fracture has occurred in the graphene impregnated titanium bulkhead, that is causing the electromagnetic shielding to jump across it. This would allow a very minute amount of radiation to "leak" out. We're talking nearly at the atomic level here, so the amount of leakage is barely noticeable—and far, far less than you would receive from anything like an x-ray."

Eli asked, "Shouldn't there be no radiation at all in the cab of those things?"

Sam turned to Eli saying, "No, there is always a small amount from the electronics and guidance systems inside the cockpit, but any shift in this _background_ level will trigger an alarm, which is what she was reporting on."

Adam looked back to Sam, "What about from the outside?"

Sam again answered directly. "The_ F-302V's_ have both electromagnetic shields and the Valeyian force shields. Force shields keep you safe from weapons/impacts, the other—from radiation, similar to Earth's magnetic field." Sam smiled at Adam and said with genuine compassion, "I know you're concerned for her, but if there was any doubt we would call her back."

Sam turned to Everett who also nodded in agreeance and smiled at Adam.

Everett finally said, "Now, is there anything else? If not, Col. Carter and myself have a lot to do."

Adam answered, "No Sir—and thank-you Col. Carter."

Sam beamed a smile at him. "You're welcome, Dr Brody." They turned and left the bridge.

Eli looked at the clock on his CI screen—fifteen hours to go. He sighed and said out loud, "Fifteen to go..."

In another part of _Destiny,_ Ron had a conversation with Wallace. "Has he made any sort of move?"

The sergeant answered honestly, "No Sir, hasn't moved a muscle really. So unless he has some kind of ESP device and can think his way through, I have no idea if or how."

Greer replied, "Na, I don't think he has done anything. I spoke to the bridge a short time ago and they said nothing more has been transmitted that they have detected." Greer shrugged.

John nodded in agreeance. "Did they find the transmitter yet?"

Ron shook his head. "It must have been a short burst—there is no other detectable signal. Anyhow, word back from the advanced Valeyian scout is that both men are being kept on the planet where calling "A", so it will be a ground party snatch and grab. We have a probable location and dwelling, but we will have to improvise on the fly with the assault, as we have no layout yet. Make sure we take lots of 'bang in a can' (spay foam explosive), C4, and the Alien C4 stuff—may have to get through several walls. Take at least eight plasma rifles, we can use them like artillery cover for our escape. Col. Carter has jerry rigged our shuttles with a cloaking device from the Atlantis Jumpers, so we can sneak in and out. She will be flying one with us too since Capt. Scott ain't here. Only tell them it is a planetary assault, not how or where. If he knows where, it will become obviously fairly quickly—keep an eye on him."

Sgt Wallace smiled, "You got it Sir."

Nick was in his quarters with Amanda, under the covers.

Mandy said as she spooned into him, "You know there is a million things we should be doing."

Nick coughed and cleared his throat. "And your point is?" he smiled at her.

Mandy slapped him playfully on the arm, then climbed over the top of him, forcing Nick to lay flat on his back, as she began to rub herself against him saying, "Well this is one thing we could do." Just as quickly, she stopped and said in a harsh teasing way, "But no, we're needed elsewhere!" She threw the covers off, jumping up naked and dragged Nick by the arm, pulling him out of bed. "Now put your clothes on and let's get back to work—playtime is over!"

Reluctantly Nick got up, but then he moved fast and grabbed Mandy, forcing her up against the wall and kissing her passionately. She returned the kisses, but again stopped him short in a more gentle way.

"Come on Nicky, I have things I need to do" she said against her own desire as he continued to kiss her neck. "Oh Honey damn it, please stop." She finally pushed herself free from his grip. "Save it for later Baby, you can have me as much as you like then." Amanda became more stern with her words. "I have to get things prepared in the infirmary, I'm expecting a lot of injured in all this."

Nick watched her get dressed and sighed, "I suppose you're right." He went quiet for a moment as Mandy noticed.

"What is it Hun?" she asked.

Nick just shook his head saying, "This is madness—this whole thing—is just madness."

Amanda was empathetic but still managed a slight joke and smiled, "You mean us, or the mission?"

Nick got a little snappy in his mood, "Of course the mission! I mean, how the hell are we supposed to fight against the Ori? Like one or two ships maybe, but a fleet? It's suicide!"

Amanda walked over fully clothed and sat facing him on his lap. She lent forward and kissed him passionately for a long moment, before ending the kiss and saying in a collected and heartfelt voice,

"Then fight for this—fight for our love. That's what I'll be fighting for, you..."


	37. Chapter 37

SGU s04 e17

D-Day

Nick came marching into the observation deck followed closely by Amanda, and announced to Everett, who was seated with Te'arly and her son, "We found it!"

Everett turned and looked around the room to find no one else was around. "The transmitter?"

"Yeah," said Nick. "It was in the engine room behind a wall panel. You can thank Amanda and _Destiny_ for finding it."

Everett gave a half smile and said, "At least that will be the last transmission he sends," as he turned his attention back to the view in front of him. "Thanks guys," he added.

Nick and Amanda got the hint to leave them alone. There were only three hours away from possible disaster and Everett wanted to spend some of whatever time they had left with his family. Elsewhere on _Destiny_, many others were doing exactly that too. Camille and Vanessa, TJ and Varro, Ginn and Eli all took some time out from their respective duties to spend time with the ones most important to them. Even _Destiny_ herself could feel the morale of her human souls had diminished from their normal optimistic outlook.

Everett closed his eyes and cleared his mind, trying to focus on locating the exact position of Castell. Again and again he tried, but it was like he no longer existed.

Te'arly gently massaged the back of his neck saying quietly, "Just rest Honey, don't try too hard."

Everett relaxed to her touch. Tired, he closed his eyes, only to be woken by Eli's voice saying, "Dropping from FTL in three, two, one."

Bright light,

Screams. Fire. Explosions.

"Shield's gone!" screamed Rush.

"Controls gone! We're caught in the planet's gravity field, I can't pull her up!" yelled Franklin.

Searing heat,

Obliteration,

Death.

* * *

><p>Everett's eyes sprung open with his own scream of terror. Te'arly grabbed him and held Everett close.<p>

"It's okay Baby; it's okay Baby, it's just a nightmare. You're safe, we're all safe," she said softly, gently rocking him.

Everett broke down and cried into her. Te'arly didn't need to ask, she knew what he had seen; there was only one thing that it could have been. Hadrian began to cry, sensing the discomfort around him. Te'arly held her family close as she calmed them down, speaking softly, but allowing her own tears to flow. This was when they needed each other the most, right here, right now.

Everett finally regained some control of his emotional state, lifted his head from Te'arly's shoulder and said with real fear, "I don't know that I can do this; I don't know if I can hold my nerve and order my people to their possible deaths."

Te'arly never let go of him, but her inner warrior strength came through as she said, "You will and you _must_!" It was the first time Everett had ever heard Te'arly raise her voice to him. "Honey, I love you—but you must be stronger than all of us here and now, or none of us will stand a chance. You need to make calm and decisive plans, _and see them through!_ I know you're scared, we're _all _scared, believe me; but you must lead and trust in the people you know, that they will do everything possible to make this work. All our lives depend on each other." Each one of Te'arly's words struck Everett with the magnitude of a bullet.

He was slightly stunned at the power in her voice; but her words rippled through his soul, and reverberated against his very being. It was the spark he needed as Everett's mind began once again to fire on all eight cylinders and control his doubts.

He said with a sly grin, "You're right; I can't let a silly dream get in the way of what needs to be done." He jumped up and lent down in front of her, kissing her on the forehead, and then one on Hadrian's head. "Time we get this show on the road."

She smiled up to him as he stood there, "Now that's the man I want to marry!" she said with a smile.

Everett looked at her with endless love in his heart, "Thank you Baby, I needed a good kick up the ass! I have to go," he took off but stopped and turned back at the door and yelled, "After this, I'm going to marry you!" Everett took off to the bridge.

Everett bumped into Samantha Carter along the way and said, "Hey Sam, I'm heading to the bridge, care to join me?"

Samantha smiled, "I have to check on something first, but then I'll head up. I'll only be a few minutes," she said.

Ev smiled at her, "Okay, I'll brief you when you get there," and he continued on his way.

Sam went back to her quarters and grabbed her Asgard enhanced I Pad. She input some figures and waited for the results; thinking to herself she said out loud, _please be under 50 mSv/a._ The result came back on her screen: 82 mSv/a. Sam's heart sank as she said loudly, "Damn it! We got to get her out of that 302." Sam knew this dose of radiation wasn't lethal, but it was over the threshold of the lowest dose risk before it might cause problems. Now she wanted Captain Tez out of that 302 before whatever had gone wrong got any worse. Sam decided to tell Everett to get in contact with her and explain where it was at; she headed back to the bridge.

The bridge of _Destiny_ was a busy place at this point. Operations of all sorts where under planning, and while the threat of another transmission to the Ori was eliminated, they knew that nothing should be kept to chance around Corporal Luffe.

Greer was against sending him with the away team, even though they were under orders to "keep him involved".

He was saying to Everett, "Look General, I'll do whatever you order me too, but for the record, I think this is a bad idea to send him out with them. He'll be an unacceptable risk to the other men for one, and being in the position he is, I don't think threatening his life to work for us is going to have any effect either. Personally, I think we should just throw him out the airlock and be done with it!"

Before Everett could reply, a distressed message came over Greer's radio, "Sir, we have had to subdue Corporal Luffe; he has opened fire on us unprovoked. I'm sorry to report Sir, he's dead, and we have one man wounded in the shoulder, not too serious. Medics are on their way, Wallace out."

Greer's reply on the radio was instant, "I'm on my way Sergeant!", then to Everett, "I guess that's that then!" and he took off running toward the directional elevator.

Sam watched Everett shake his head as Greer had rushed passed him. "General, aren't you going to follow him?" she asked somewhat bewildered at his reaction.

Everett looked at her and sighed saying, "Greer was right, we should have thrown him out the airlock. I have far too many other issues to deal with for now; we drop from FTL in less than two hours. Besides, Greer is more than capable of getting to the bottom of what happened, as I'd say Luffe found out we took his device."

Sam was beginning to realize just how things worked on _Destiny_. Strict military discipline had been replaced with a more relaxed set of "military morals" when things were quiet, that included input from the civilian population. People were on a first name basis, or called by their rank depending on who was talking to you. After being in control of Atlantis for a while, she understood well the comrardery that forms between people who are dependent on each other for survival.

Even Everett called Carter by her first name, as he said, "Okay Sam, this is where you come in. I need you to fly one of the retrofitted shuttles since Matt isn't here. I hope the cloaking device your guys fitted from the Atlantis Jumpers works a treat, you're gonna need 'em."

Sam nodded and smiled saying, "You're pretty relaxed around here I noticed General."

Everett twigged quickly, "Oh sorry, Colonel. We don't have any barriers between the military and civilians aboard, so people are free to communicate as they wish—we're sort of become like one big family really."

Sam began to chuckle. "It's okay General, Sam is fine by me—it feels a lot like Atlantis did."

Everett nodded and grinned broadly at her. "We could do with Colonel Sheppard's help about now too, but I'm glad you're here Sam, thanks for helping us."

* * *

><p>Sam brought him back to point, "You were saying about the shuttle?"<p>

"Yeah," said Everett, as he pointed out the various areas around the rather modern looking Earth like building, on his large alien 'I Pad'. "When we drop from FTL just out of range of the planet, we will launch the two shuttles: you will be in command of the first, TJ will have control of the other. You need to land the guys in this area here, under cloak. TJ will take this area around the back, with her crew. Now, Franklin and Adam will be in contact with you guys constantly, and with any luck, track you all on screen. They can offer fire support from _Destiny_ if you need it, but Greer and Wallace will be running the snatch and grab from your end, so let them make the call if they need it."

"Any questions?" he asked Sam.

She looked intently at the building and said, "Not what I was expecting; most of the buildings and planets I've been to are pretty basic. Especially when it came to the Ori and the worlds they controlled. These buildings seem to be the equivalent of our world; like the people there are well advanced, and would be able to resist." Sam wondered why they didn't fight back against the Ori, as they appeared to have the means to do so.

Everett didn't really have an answer for her either. "This intel comes from the Valeyian spies that went in undercover. I have no idea how or why they are run by the Ori, maybe it was always just the way it turned out, like the beliefs we have on Earth."

Sam looked hard at Everett with some concern and said, "That means they would see you and me as the enemy, attacking their world—the opposite of the Ori coming after _us_."

Everett replied cautiously, "That is why we can't fail to get them out—we only have the element of surprise once—there is no second chance. Genesis controls the people the way any ruler does; misinformation and fear. Maybe they were too afraid to fight back, or _they just believed him_."

Samantha accepted that they may never know the how and whys, but she understood the value of a surprise factor. There was another concern that she wanted to talk about too: Captain Tez.

She said with some apprehension, "General, there is another issue with Captain Tez and her _F-302V_. Before I came to the bridge I was checking on her last radiation reading, and it's—well—not getting any better."

Everett stopped looking at his plans and focused on Sam. "Okay, define 'not getting any better'".

Sam's eyes opened wide and she slightly nodded and said, "Um the reading has slightly increased since she first spoke to me, but it is not at a dangerous level perse. Although it is at a level that prolonged exposure could become an issue; particularly for a woman in her child bearing years."

Everett put his hand to his chin in contemplation before speaking. After a moment he said, "You haven't told her yet either I guess; maybe we should get her opinion before we make a decision that will leave us open to attack. Call her Sam, and put her on speaker. I think Adam should have the right to his opinion with this as well." Everett turned and spoke loudly above the ambient noise; "Can we have some quiet on the bridge please people?!" he ordered. "Put it through Sam," he said.

Samantha got Tez on the horn.

Tez answered, "Colonel Carter, how are we doing?"

Sam replied, "I have you on speaker in the bridge, and General Young wants to have a few words with you too."

Tez chuckled, "I'm not going anywhere, so fire away!" she said smiling.

Sam gave her the news. "Well your latest count is at 82 mSv/a, a little bit higher than we would like—."

Tez cut in, "So not too bad then?"

Sam answered. "Not too bad for a short time only; a few hours maybe. But I would rather see you out of that 302 than in it," Sam showed some anguish in her voice.

Tez thought for a moment before answering. "But if I come back, we have to drop from FTL; that will make us a target and give away our position." She paused for a moment then added, "Listen, if it is not that bad then I will continue. If it is going to affect me then maybe we should; I don't know. What are your thoughts General Young?" she asked.

Everett replied, "I know what Colonel Carter is getting at; anything above 50 we start to see an increase in the chances of health complications later on in life. But for the short term, as the Colonel said, a few hours should be okay." He looked at Adam who reluctantly nodded in agreement, with Everett adding, "Adam has given me the nod to say it's your call Tez."

Tez smiled to herself in the cockpit; although she was concerned about this, there was far more danger in the mission facing the Ori. She knew her odds of survival at any point could be poor. Why let a small amount of radiation worry her now, so she answered. "I have got more chance of being taken out by the Ori than this killing me. Besides, I don't think it's bad enough to endanger everyone onboard _Destiny_—I'll continue on," Tez changed her tone of voice, "Is that okay with you Honey?" she asked Adam cheekily.

Everyone on the bridge was now looking at Adam, who decided to answer with the age-old phrase men say, when the woman you love has made up her mind; "Yes Dear!" But hidden under his humor was a nagging feeling he couldn't shake.

Everett looked back to Samantha and said, "If there is anything else _at all_ you want to bring up about any of the mission Sam, now's the time."

Samantha smiled at him, but she was still concerned for Captain Tez. "Not at the moment General, but I will call you if anything does come up."

Everett gave her an understanding nod, knowing that she had some apprehensions about Tez. "Thanks Sam, I'll keep you updated of any changes immediately," he said genuinely.

Samantha Carter walked out of the bridge and headed to find M Sgt Greer and his men, and see how the mess there was being assessed.

Amanda had entered the bridge and was going over some sensor details with Eli they had collected about the force field on the Supergate. Everett turned his attention to her with a new briefing.

"Dr Perry," he said, "I have a different mission for you and several others."

Amanda walked back over to Everett, who was standing against the back wall of the bridge to the right of the door. "Yes General?"

Everett lowered his voice a little to speak privately with her. "Amanda, I need you to assemble a team to work in the infirmary with Varro. We only have two general nurses and a medic onboard, apart from our normal team. Could you please enlist the help of Camille, Lt James, and Dr Wong Hoy; I know she is a psychologist, but she also has some good medical training as well. It could be helpful if we get a lot of wounded," he said, hoping not to.

Amanda asked, "Do you think it's going to get that bad?"

Everett sighed softly and replied, "God I hope not, but we need to be ready for anything!"

Amanda simply nodded and headed on her way.

* * *

><p>TJ was sitting next to Corporal Stevens casually stitching the minor gash on his right shoulder as Sam walked into Greer's ready roomgym.

Stevens looked at Col. Carter and smiled, using an English accent and line from Monty Python; "It's just a flesh wound, Ma'am!"

Sam looked at the black body-bag at the side of the room and said, "Corporal Luffe I presume?"

Ronald came over to her smiling and said, "Yes, and no longer our problem. Sgt Wallace tapped two in his head when he got a bit antsy, and pointed his hot weapon around at Stevens. He said that we were all going to die or some bullshit like that after fidgeting with this," He handed Sam what looked to be an I Phone. "Clever eh?" he continued, "Looks just like a phone from home, but it ain't—some Ori alien tech to send messages to his transmitter. Had it in his pocket, and from what we can work out, he controlled it with his mind and finger. We found an implanted wire just beside his cervical spine, hence no local transmission signal around him—as the wire plugged into the phone."

Samantha looked over the phone and said, "But there would have been a signal from the phone to the transmitter; so how did we not detect it?"

Greer filled her in with his own theory. "Since Eli found the subspace link, we allow people to send text messages and make calls back to home on their own phones. _Destiny_ now has her own cell phone interface that gets connected to the subspace link at a particular time, collecting and storing texts before she downloads all the messages back to Earth in a burst. We have specific times for calls, but you can text anytime. I guess he was just taking advantage of our own tech onboard."

Two men lifted the lifeless body onto a gurney and wheeled it out of the door.

Sam said, "I want to take a look at how that worked so we can counteract it in the future."

Greer answered, "Yes Ma'am; he's going on ice until this shit is over, then he's all yours—or the SGC," he smiled at her, happy that this problem was over.

Greer got everyone's attention sharply. "Okay people, listen up! We have got two teams, one will take the front, the other from the non-existent roof opening. You guys on the roof, we need an access point so blow it carefully and quietly. Now from our intel, the building appears to be of concrete and steel construction, and very similar to any Earth prison. The homeys' seem to have better tech than us, so surprise is the key. We will be shipped in by both shuttles—one flown by Col. Carter, the other by our wonderfully talented Lt. TJ—both have cloaking ability. _Destiny_ will offer fire support, but don't count on it; they will have their own shit to deal with no doubt. I will lead team Alpha, and my good friend Sgt Wallace, will lead team Zulu. Are there any questions so far?" he waited for any response before continuing. "Good. Our main objective is to rescue, and I don't believe I have to say this, two persons known to us. One is Castell, the other is General Decca Traise."

A slight murmur sifted out through the ranks of the men who had faced this man already in combat, defending _Destiny_.

Someone called out, "Sir, are you serious—Gen. Decca Traise?"

Greer got angry at being questioned, bad move. "Front and center PFC. Lane!" he yelled back.

The young man did as he was ordered, and Greer stood in his face, but spoke quietly to him. "Private, I don't like this anymore than you do, but _if you ever_ question me again like that _you will_ be scrubbing this room with your toothbrush for the rest of your term aboard this great ship _Destiny_," he hardened his stance toward PFC. Lane, "Do I make myself clear?!" he yelled.

The Young Private snapped a salute and said at the top of his voice "Sir, yes Sir!"

Greer snapped back, "Don't call me Sir, I work for a living!" amused at his own attempted movie humor.

The shaking PFC came back with the correct response, "Yes, Master Sergeant!"

Greer motioned to him and said loudly, "Fall back!" as PFC Lane scurried away. "Right, let's do this people!" said Greer, and they split into teams ready to head toward the shuttles.

Corporal Stevens, who had just refitted his armor, looked to the young man Greer had just blasted with a smile and said, "Don't ever question him again; it's safer not to!" and laughed at the young Private.

They moved out packed full of weapons, ammo and explosives toward the shuttle launch area. As they moved their gear into the respective shuttles, Greer told them that they were about 50 minutes out from launch, and under the circumstances, cut all of them some slack.

He said over their earpiece radios, "Okay guys we have about 48 minutes left in FTL. Now I don't normally allow this, but I'm letting you all have twenty five minutes off the clock right now; take it or leave it, it's up to you. But it's a once only offer; if you're not back on time, I'll shoot you myself. Three, two, go!" He looked across to Sam and said, "Colonel, I know you out rank me, but if you want to—you can…"

Sam cut him off with a wave and smiled. "Thank you Sergeant, but I have quite a few things that need doing right here." She paused for a moment then said honestly, "May I say something to you Sergeant?" Greer nodded. "For a Master Sergeant, you have a very kind heart; and I admire how much you care for people in general. When I was with SG1, I always felt safe knowing O'Neill, Daniel, and Teal'c would have my back, no matter what. I get that same feeling from you and all the guys on _Destiny_ too. I just wanted you to know that." It wasn't a normal thing for Sam to say, but she knew this was a really tough mission—that they may not survive.

Ronald smiled inwardly for a moment, but then conceded to his feelings and let his smile out, saying, "Thank you Colonel; we always will." He went back to his Asgard I Pad and studied the building and plan again.

Eli was busy running through data streams of information about the Supergate force field that Amanda had delivered to the bridge a short while ago. It wasn't that he had to worry about it so much, but more so to keep his mind off what was coming. He was on the bridge with Nick, Adam, Franklin, and of course, Everett. It had been decided to close the bridge to all but essential personal, although they had decided to keep the blast doors open for a quick exit.

Nick reported something he had been picking up for about five minutes. "Ev, I have a strange subspace disturbance that seems to be trailing us for the past few minutes."

Everett got out of the forward console chair to take a look at Nick's screen. "It's not the signature of our 302's?" he asked.

Nick shook his head and pointed to four dots on the screen. "No, their ours. This is not like any ship's signature I've ever seen; and if it is a ship, then definitely not Ori in origin." Nick looked at him with no answer. "All I can do is keep track of it, but for the last six minutes it has followed our course exactly."

Everett thought back to the secret information _Destiny_ had "accidentally intercepted" from the _Apollo 2011_. He knew the Valeyians had some very unique ships, and as they were just following and not attacking _Destiny_, Ev figured it may be one of theirs. "Keep an eye on it Rush, but if it can do that, it could also just as easily take us out. With any luck, they're friendly!" he smiled at Nick.

Nick tried to lighten the mood in his 'Scotty' response, "Aye, aye Captain, will do," causing Eli and Franklin to chuckle.

* * *

><p><em>Destiny<em> beeped all the CI screens across the bridge: "Planet system detected; eighteen minutes at current FTL speed to heliopause region," was the message given to everyone.

There was a short shared silence on the bridge until Eli exhaled a large sigh, and said loud enough to be overheard, "Oh fuck, here we go."

Everett responded by making a general announcement over the main com. "All personnel, may I have your attention; we are about twenty minutes away from FTL drop." Everett looked at the faces of the guys watching him, and knew he had to say something to help steady everyone onboard:

"I know this is going to be a tough mission for everyone here. A lot of us have friends, family and loved ones aboard, which are foremost in our minds right now. As we enter this mission, I want to offer my sincerest heartfelt gratitude to everyone, for your courage, perseverance, and passion that all of you have displayed since you joined _Destiny's_ crew. Some of us have been here since the beginning, and many from later on—it does not matter of which time you came to be here—you are a part of the crew, the life, and now, a part of the _Destiny_ family. I know at times we have had our differences; our own opinions," Everett looked at Nick and smiled before continuing. "But as humans, we are capable of greatness under the most extreme situations. I cannot ask anymore of you than what you already give as an individual—and in this time of battle, I will only ask one thing of anyone:"

"Act, don't think: take action at the situation before you."

Everett hoped he said the right words as he continued. "I cannot promise you that all will go smoothly, especially with what is to come. I _will promise you this_: that I will do _everything_ in my power to protect everyone onboard, and the Ancient ship _Destiny_—and I will leave _no one _behind."

Nick smiled at Everett and said, "I don't know if that was what I would have said, but I believe it was what we needed to hear—thanks Ev."

The FTL clock slowly, but surely ticked down. Ronald had his teams ready to go; all had returned on time. Nick reported to Everett that their "tail" was still following them precisely. Everyone on _Destiny_ was anxious as that FTL clock continued ticking down— but they were ready for whatever was to come.

"Eli," said Everett, "Status please," he asked calmly.

Eli worked through the numbers. "Shields at max; all weapons online and armed. Ship's systems at one hundred percent. FTL drive is ready for neutral switch. All fighters are ready on our mark, however they will need a couple of minutes before they can reactivate their hyper-drives."

"Thanks Eli," said Everett, as he lent across toward Eli and added, "They may know we're coming, but they don't know where from. That should give us enough advantage to launch the shuttles without them being detected. The 302's may have to fend for themselves for a few moments."

Franklin was in Kirk's chair and announced focused, "One minute."

Adam called out at the forward CI control, "I have conformation of the twin planets; they both appear to be heavily populated—billions between them."

Eli thought out loud, "Great, just what I wanted to hear," then added, "I have the escape FTL loop programmed in navigation at a distance 0.75 parsec; gives us about ten minutes in FTL."

In shuttle number one, Greer looked at Samantha and said, "Ready Colonel? On my mark," the blur of the FTL drive swept across _Destiny_ as Greer counted down. "Three, two, mark!"

Both shuttles unlatched from _Destiny's_ hull and quickly faded from sight, as the Jumper cloaking systems came online instantly. A message came from _Destiny_ to Sam's and TJ's respective screens: "Happy hunting."

_Destiny_ continued forward toward the two planets as yet undetected. Their subspace "tail" was also tracking them in real space now under sublight speed, some 10,000 km behind. Nick tried to get a fix on the ship's signature, but it appeared to be surrounded by some type of subspace distortion. They could not detect it visually on screen either.

Rush said, "Ev, there is definitely a ship behind us, but it's basically cloaked."

Everett cut him off with a quick wave of his hand, which were now folded across his chest. "It's a Valeyian Destroyer," he said with a smile, "and they have already contacted me—in other ways."

Nick shook his head, "You could have told us!"

Everett snickered and chuckled saying, "What; I just did! Do you have to know everything Rush?" They smiled at each other.

_Destiny_ traveled along past a murky green colored gas giant about twice the size of Jupiter. The light rays from the advancing solar system's sun reflected eerily through the vertical ice rings surrounding planet. At a distance of 300,000km from the outer rings, _Destiny_ was hoping to stay concealed against the Ori using the gravitational and radioactive interference of the planet. It awarded them with several more minutes of stealth, and importantly, time for the _F-302V's _to cool down ready to jump again if needed.

Franklin broke the news. "Heads up guys, we got multiple hyperspace windows opening!"

Before anyone on _Destiny's_ bridge could react, a barrage of light flashes ripped past them, followed by explosions out of the opening hyperspace windows. Every Ori ship tried in vain to exit, but was taken out by the Valeyian Destroyer _Ha'tinge_. Second Commander Warenz sat back in his bridge chair and smiled at the Ori's demise, but he knew this was far from a victory. He felt Everett call to his mind;

"Thank you".

Meanwhile on _Destiny's_ two shuttles, Ronald was staring out the front screen at the rows of Ori warships in battle formation.

He slowly said out louder than he thought, "Fuck me..." then remembered who he was sitting next to. "Oh, sorry Ma'am."

Sam replied quietly, "That's a perfectly understandable statement in this situation, Sergeant; I was thinking along those lines myself."

The guys in the back were peering out of every vantage point available. The Ori warships were lined up at intervals of about 1,000km; stacked four rows high, they disappeared into a distant point that blended with the blackness of space. On the other shuttle, TJ and Sgt. Wallace tried to remain calm as they carefully followed their own navigation path past the fleet of Ori ships.

TJ had never felt as scared as she did now, and relied on her years of military training to keep her calm. "Damn it," she said, "We can't even contact _Destiny_ to tell them."

Wallace nodded, "Yeah, it sucks. Radio silence is a bitch at times. I'm sure the General knows what they're up against; we'll just stick to our part and get it done Ma'am."

TJ altered course and headed away from the Ori fleet, toward their primary target on the planet. Sam and Ronald continued on a little closer to the ships, with Ron questioning what Sam was up to.

"Colonel," he asked concerned, "Aren't we a little close for comfort?"

Sam answered carefully. "Something's not right here—the ships, in formation like this—it doesn't seem right." She looked straight at Greer, "Sergeant, if you were going to defend your world, where would you be—in the open, or attack from nowhere?"

Greer realized her point quickly saying, "Hit 'em from nowhere, hard. This guy's smart and he knows we're coming—this is a bluff."

Sam brought up some onscreen info and pointed it out to Greer. "See this here, there should be an energy signal reading coming from all of those ships. Even if they are dormant, life support and other ships systems still give off an energy signature that we are more than close enough to read."

Greer's mind ticked over. "So you're saying these aren't real? There like a hologram or something Colonel?"

Sam shook her head saying, "I'm not specifically sure what is causing them to appear, but I don't believe they are real. Our sensors don't seem to be reading anything solid ahead of us." Sam thought for a moment then added, "Maybe this is some sort of satellite generating a holographic ship around it. There is definitely a strange energy signature out there, but nothing that matches an Ori Warship that I can see."

Ronald answered her with a chilling question, "But it would only take one _real Warship _hidden amongst the fake ones to catch us scanning..." before he could finish, a volley of light flew past the shuttles nose and rear, missing by only mere meters!

Greer yelled, "Colonel, get our asses outta here now!"

Sam immediately took evasive manoeuvres, then switched off anything that could allow a signal to leak from the shuttle. "Whoa..." Samantha breathed a sigh of relief as any further shots they detected were in the wrong direction. She looked to Ronald and half smiled saying, "You were right, it only takes one!"

Greer replied cautiously, "Yeah, but it looks like they lost us—for now. Let's just continue with our objective." Ron looked at Sam in the eyes and said very respectfully, with a smile and nod, "Colonel; good flying Ma'am."

Samantha smiled back at him. "Thank you Sergeant."

* * *

><p>On Genesis's unique Warship, he sat in his command chair in front of several high ranking Priors. Castell was seated beside him in full view of everyone there.<p>

Prior Abarchus described what had been transpiring. "My Lord, a cloaked ship was detected near the image ships in the far quadrant. It appeared to be only a type of shuttle or small vessel, possible carrying their extraction team. _Destiny_ past planet Olillun (pronounced: Ol' e' lune) and encountered our wave of twelve ships. We now believe that a Valeyian Destroyer is protecting them, as we have had no contact with any of our warships since attempting to exit hyperspace."

Genesis turned to Castell with a scalding look, then back to Abarchus. "Valeyian Destroyer—hmmm," he contemplated their next move. "Allow the rescue to take place, but not without several casualties on their side; be difficult, but allow escape. I want General Traise to be re-united with his 'family' on _Destiny_." He paused for a moment then added, "Crash a ship into _Destiny_ to get through their shield, then board discreetly. Allow them to believe they have countered our attack—I need our soldiers aboard their ship to capture General Young. I believe he will come willingly once the situation is explained to him through the carnage of his crew."

Abarchus nodded but added, "That may cost us an entire warship; shall I send one of the lesser populated reconnaissance ships?"

Genesis snarled, "I don't care what it costs for the glory of Origin, send whatever ship you like!" he huffed, then added, "Oh, and Abarchus—make sure our men use whatever means necessary to exploit the loved ones of the crew, no exceptions," he added maliciously.

Prior Abarchus knew what his master meant, but he himself had his own family and could not bear the thought of what Genesis had just suggested. There had to be some honor between enemies, and this was one order Abarchus would decide not to follow. Innocents should not be used as pawns in war, no matter who was fighting. Castell sensed the unsettledness of Abarchus's soul and smiled inwardly, and recited a line from his own spiritual history to himself;

'_Even if the odds are stacked against you, there is always hope to be found in the soul.'_


	38. Chapter 38

SGU s04 e18

Rescue

Sam touched down the shuttle in a deserted area behind the alien looking building. It was four stories high, camouflaged in sandy colors like the surrounding area. A quick scan showed active electrified fields around the perimeter of the 200 by 100 meter building. Both her and Greer looked around quietly at where they were. The coordinates they had been led to by the Valeyian reconnaissance team had placed them in an un-forested clearing well away from any civilization. Except for the building directly behind them, there appeared to be only sparse vegetation and sandy dunes for miles. This was well and truly a very high security and remotely located facility.

Greer looked to Sam with a light hearted smile, "Okay Ma'am, I guess this is where we earn our money!"

Sam pointed to the far end of the building, "Sergeant, there are two men down there," she brought them up on screen.

They could see their human faces and standard Ori military uniforms along with an Earth like style of modern military firearms.

Greer studied the men carefully and said, "The taller dude looks like he's got a sniper's weapon, the other one looks like some type of light machine gun." He kept his eyes on the targets, "We do not want to find out the hard way how good they are; let's just wait a few minutes and see where they go."

Samantha ran some scans of the compound. "I'm picking up an internal power generator on the third floor that is highly active, but I have no idea if disabling this will turn off the outside field."

Greer heard a double tap on his earpiece. "Sounds like the others are here too." He continued to watch the two men who were now halfway across the open yard and headed toward the only other small garage sized building directly in front of the shuttle.

Their concentration was interrupted by three short blast of a loud siren—immediately after the two men entered the small dwelling, the electrical field came down. Following another long single blast of the siren, the men reappeared and swiped something across a pad on the door.

Sam smiled, "At least they turned it off for us, and we know where from!"

Greer's attention was turned elsewhere as he said with a disheartening resound, "Oh shit, exercise time! Get us off the ground Colonel, or they'll walk straight into the shuttle."

As they lifted off and turned around, several doors opened from the main building, and a mix of military personal and prisoners walk into the yard.

* * *

><p>Greer tapped in Morse code on his radio to Sgt. Wallace; "Alt LZ," and the two shuttles headed for the middle of nowhere to meet up, about five miles from the compound. On the way, one of the men noticed two people just outside what looked to be a makeshift semi-covered shelter and notified Greer.<p>

"Sir, there appears to be two people taking cover to our left," said the Marine.

Ronald got Sam to run another pass and checked it out. "Hey Stevens," said Greer. "Have you got that desert ghillie suit you been working on?"

Corporal Stevens checked his bag. "Don't leave home without it, Sir; why?"

Ron looked at him and smiled. "How about a real world test?"

The Corporal smiled back, "Yes Sir! It just slips over my armor too." He quickly fitted himself into the suit.

Ron was impressed with his work. "Okay, we're going to give you the drop on those two down there, as our LZ is within their sight, about 350 meters to the north. Never hurt to have some friendly back up, just in case they have some strange ideas of signalling someone to us."

Stevens asked proficiently, "Sergeant, do you need me keep watch or take them out?"

Greer shook his head, "Hell no, let's try not kill any inhabitants unless we're being fired upon; just keep watch son, that's all. We'll come get you shortly."

Sam landed about 200 meters from the targets, as Stevens dropped into the warm soft sand on his belly. Greer was even more impressed as Stevens' shape quickly vanished into the surrounding sand-scape as they lifted off to the LZ. Stevens then slowly made his way within 20 meters of the two targets.

At the LZ, both shuttles sat back to back as Sam increased the cloak field to join the two together. Bad move as TJ's shuttle fried a crystal in the adapted circuitry, causing the cloak to fail. Immediately the shields came online to suppress any signature of the ship's systems, but they were exposed and visible out in the open.

Greer quickly got out of the shuttle with his men, and helped the others drag an emergency camouflage covering over the exposed shuttle.

He turned to Sgt. Wallace, "Fuck me, what else?"

Wallace smiled, "You know us Marines, we improvise!"

Greer told him, "Did you see the two bogies on the ridge? Stevens is in a ghillie suit behind them, but they would have spotted us by now."

Wallace pointed behind Greer, "You mean the Sandman and the two kids coming down the hill over there?"

Greer turned and just shook his head in complete frustration. "Oh for fuck's sake! Now what?"

Wallace laughed at him, "That's why you got the stripes on your arm!" and gave him a wink.

Stevens marched the two teenage looking kids directly to Greer who asked them point blank, "Okay, what's your story, you two?"

The Girl said through her tears, "Please don't hurt us!"

Greer put his weapon behind his back. "My name's Greer, and we're not here to hurt anyone, I give you my word. But I do want to know what you two are doing in the middle of nowhere?"

TJ noticed the young girl had a makeshift bandage on her leg and forearm. She also looked rather dehydrated and worse for wear.

Tamara walked over to her and asked with a mix of kindness and concern, "Are you hurt? I'm a medic—a healer—can I take a look at your arm Sweetie?" TJ could see the weeping wound, as her caring instincts took over. She looked at the young man and asked politely, "Would it be alright if I took her just into the back of the shuttle? You will be able to see her all the time," He cautiously nodded his okay to TJ, knowing that she really needed help he couldn't give.

The young girl accepted TJ's help, still frightened of what was happening. Tamara carefully loosened the bandage to reveal an infected laceration about an inch long. It was very deep, and TJ knew she would have to be in a lot of pain. Greer turned his attention to the boy and introduced himself as TJ brought the young girl—who she guessed was about 14—into the back of the shuttle.

Greer sat down with the young man and started with the basics, as Stevens kept watch in a subdued way. "Can you tell me your name?" Ronald asked.

The boy answered just as curiously as Greer was about him. "Soltolis, but my friends call me Sully. Who are you guys? Are you from planet Janca?"

Greer pointed to the distant outline of the twin planet in the sky, that looked about three times the size of Earth's moon, "You mean there?"

The young man came back with a slightly cheeky answer, "Ah, yeah! Like there. We do travel between both worlds you know. Where have you been hiding for the last 1000 cycles?"

Greer liked his cheeky attitude, as it reminded him of himself as a young man. "Well, not exactly. We are not from your world, or Janca—or your galaxy."

Sully's eyes opened wide with questions, "You're from another galaxy! Total aces awesomatic! Where?" he could barely contain his excitement of meeting real life aliens from another galaxy who appeared friendly.

Greer put up his hands to calm him down, but smiled. "Okay, hang on Sully, we need to make a deal here. I'll answer some of your questions, after you answer some of mine. Sound fair?" Ronald kept a stern look in his eyes, but softened it after Sully agreed.

Sully thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Chilled Greer. Ask away."

Ron tried to stop smiling at Sully but couldn't, so he just kept it simple. "Okay, how old are you?"

Sully looked around and stared at some of the weapons around him saying blindly, "Seventeen cycles; my go now?"

Ronald shook his head, "No, I got a few more first. How did you guys come to be here; did you escape from the compound?"

The cheerful look suddenly drained from Sully's eyes as he recalled how they came to be there. "She's my sister, Na'cholle—we call her Nay for short—she was only twelve when we were found and taken to the outpost. Our family was one of the many who continued to resist against Genesis's armies of the sky. Ori; Origin—bunch of bird feeders if you ask me! Up their ox shit ways, was what my father use to say."

* * *

><p>Greer had to ask although her feared the answer from this young man, "Where is your father?"<p>

A tear ran down from Sully's right eye as he said, "He died protecting us, helping with our escape at the cost of his and our mother's life," he wiped the tears that had started to fall.

Ron looked to Wallace with heartfelt sorrow. Both of them knew that it was hard to fake real emotions like this, and took Sully at his face value; they believed him.

Ronald said with a gentle hand on Sully's bicep, "Hey, your turn now; ask me anything you want."

Sully looked up at Ronald and asked a tough one. "Are you here to save us?"

Greer answered as honestly as he could under the circumstances. "I can't make you any promises, but we will try. We're here to save a couple of our friends that have been brought to the outpost."

Sully looked at the two shuttles and tried to make sense of the cloaked one. He could see inside with the rear door open, yet the outside didn't seem to exist. He watch as TJ attended to his sister's wounds and said, "What is your friends name; we spent nearly two cycles inside that place, and I know everyone." He turned back to Greer, "And I hope you have bigger ships than these ones and lots of them!"

Greer smiled, "We've got a whole fleet of them Sully, with technology and weapons you have never seen the likes of..."

TJ had cleaned Nay's wounds and fitted healing belts around her arm and leg. "Now these will fix this up quickly for you, and allow you to move at the same time without any pain."

Nay grabbed onto TJ and began to cry uncontrollably. It had been so long since anyone had shown her any sort of compassion or caring—TJ realized quickly that she was in a very bad way emotionally and cradled her tight, offering soothing words of comfort.

Tamara looked over to Sam who was watching as she worked to restore the fused circuits and simply said, "Colonel..." Sam instinctively nodded her okay without even being asked. "Nay, you can stay here with me for now, okay?" She nodded silently, but clutched TJ's hand tightly.

Greer stepped into the shuttle. "Hi Nay," he said caringly. "I've just been talking to your brother; he has been trying hard to take care of you these last few rotations hasn't he?" Again she just nodded, but continued to hold TJ's hand tight.

Greer looked toward Sam, "Colonel, may I have a word?"

Sam passed the small motherboard to the tech savvy Marine assisting her. "Yeah, of course Sergeant."

Outside away from earshot they spoke. "Sully knows the layout of the entire building. His dad was in the resistance and taught him a few things, I believe he was a soldier. He has all the intel we need to make a strike. I say we make a plan and head back in darkness."

Sam agreed. "We have one problem, apart from this," she waved her hand toward the shuttle. "I sent a secure subspace transmission to _Destiny_, no deal. Eli had to flip the FTL loop after they came under heavy attack a second time. The Destroyer following them took out the Ori, but they can't get in close enough to cover us. In the last attack, one of the Ori ships tried to ram into _Destiny_ but only grazed her—they're out there, but in FTL."

Greer nodded and looked down at the sand for a moment thinking. He lifted his gaze back to Sam and said, "So we go it alone. Okay, It's not ideal; but it's what we got to work with."

Sam questioned him about Sully. "What about the boy; are you just going to blindly trust him? And how do we know if he is even telling the truth?"

Greer's better judgment told him to be cautious, but his instinct told him the boy was on the level. "He has given us some intel that you collected when you scanned the compound; more precisely, the location of the generator and backup power supply in detail. He also knows the layout and it fits with what we already have—but you're right—I can't trust him fully, although something tells me he wants some payback."

Sam was not convinced, but knew they had to do something soon as time was running out. "Does he know if Castell or Traise is there?"

Greer smiled. "As of when the two of them escaped about a week ago, they were being held in sub-level two. Sully told me they found an old bunker on the ridge and hid until the patrols stopped looking for them a few days ago. I figured they probably gave up thinking they were dead." Ron watched Sam's reaction before adding, "Look, I know you think this is all wrong, but we have to try something regardless of where the intel comes from."

Carter conceded. "Okay Sergeant, I'll trust your instincts on this one, but TJ will have to drop you guys in as I won't have his sister Nay on our backup shuttle; just in case this is all a trick, we need an escape."

Ron agreed. "Okay Colonel, sounds smart to me." Their attention was drawn as the exposed shuttle suddenly became cloaked again; "Time to roll," smiled Ronald.

Greer and Wallace sat facing each other in the front of Greer's shuttle, along with Sam as they outlined a plan quietly between them. Stevens was sitting next to the boy with a thousand questions as Sully asked continuously about Earth and what it was like. The Corporal understood why and tried to answer as best he could without giving away any secrets.

Finally Sully asked, "Can I see your weapon?"

Stevens looked to Greer who had heard the question, and got a quick nod in return from him, understanding the young man's curiosity. He removed the 30 round magazine and cleared the chamber of the H&K 416, before handing it over to Sully with the stern words of, "Keep it pointed to the floor please!"

Stevens gave him a run through of the basics much to Sully's delight. He had never had the chance to hold anything like this before and being that it was also an alien weapon to him just added to his excitement.

Sully asked, "Is it really loud when you use it, cos it looks similar to some of our weapons and they are really loud."

The Corporal answered honestly but without the explicit details of its capabilities. "A bit of both; depends on where we are and what we need to do, but it still makes noise no matter what." He looked at Sully who wanted more, "And they're a lot of fun to fire too," he smiled.

Sully carefully handed it back to him, but then asked, "Can I have a look at the small one?"

Stevens rearmed his weapon and passed it to the Marine beside him to hold. "Okay, but be careful with this," he drew the blackened and engraved Springfield M1911 .45ACP from its holster, removed the mag and opened the action to check it, then let it spring shut. He closed the hammer before he passed it to Sully and continued, "My Father gave this to me when I was last home. It's not the standard issue sidearm, but it has a habit of stopping whatever you fire at—quickly."

Sully held it and kept it pointed to the floor. "It feels really comfortable in my hand; are they hard to use?"

Stevens explained and gave him a quick demo. "No, but they do have a bit of kick when you fire it. Once you get use to that, it becomes second nature to you. My Father had this custom made for me by an old friend of his; all the engraving pictures were done by hand."

Sully studied the picture of a deer in the forest engraved along the forward end of the slide. The blackish blue color had been finished in matte to avoid any shiny surface that may reflect light. "Wouldn't it look better shiny?" he asked.

Stevens smiled at him. "Yeah, it would; but not practical if someone can see it from a mile away."

The young man handed the pistol back and said excitedly, "Chilled; yeah!"

* * *

><p><em>Destiny<em> continued along in FTL and headed toward a distant red dwarf star. After dropping from FTL they came to rest in amongst some gas clouds full of radiation and other interfering elements. Beside her, the Valeyian Destroyer _Ha'tinge_ also came to rest. For the first time, Warenz de-cloaked the ship and pulled in front of _Destiny_, allowing them to see the Destroyer up close.

Eli said what everyone was thinking, "Holy crap, we're being protected by a giant football?!"

Rush studied the ship in front of them and replied to Eli, "It's the smartest design for a ship of that nature; everything is hidden on the inside, and you would have to crack through the outside shell to get in. The bridge is located in the center of the ship, unlike us, it wouldn't be the first thing to get taken out in a fight." Nick admired their design before saying, "So Ev—are we going to talk to them, or just sit here and look stupid?"

Everett chuckled to himself, "No Rush, we can talk if you want. But what we really need is to get the next message from the shuttle, so we know what is happening. Sam said they have to wait until nightfall before they can commence."

Warenz hailed _Destiny_. "Greetings General Young, it's good to officially meet you; I am Second Commander Warenz of the Valeyian Fleet Destroyer _Ha'tinge_, at your service."

Everett smiled at the man on screen. "The same for us Commander, and thank you for your assistance so far, it has been lifesaving."

Warenz nodded, "Happy to accommodate you General, although I fear this is only the start. You will be happy to know that Captain Scott is jointly in charge of Commander Odin's Battleship, and I believe his wife Chloe is at the helm—damn good navigator I hear too!"

Everett chuckled, "That's our Chloe! She has an amazing connection to this ship." He paused for a moment then said, "We are waiting for a communication from the shuttles. It seems that they have picked up a couple of local kids, who had been taken prisoner by the Ori, but escaped. From what M Sgt. Greer was able to obtain, the people of the planet may not be willingly involved with the Ori, rather more like submitted than be killed. The young man's father was some sort of resistance fighter during the Ori occupation. Their technology appears to be somewhat advanced to our planets, but not by much so our strike team is set to go in another hour."

Warenz asked, "Have you been able to sense Castell?"

Everett's answer became slightly deflated, "No, not since arriving here. We have no idea if he is in the building or not, so it is only based on the intel at hand. According to the boy, both of them were there a few days ago, but to be honest, we're taking a guess."

"What about this other man, General Traise? Isn't he the one who attacked your ship—why rescue him from the Ori, may I ask?" said Warenz.

Everyone on the bridge looked to Everett as he answered. He gave a deep sigh and said, "Firstly, he needs to be held accountable for his actions and he did assist Castell to leave us a trail that helped in finding them here. I can assure you, if he gets killed in the rescue mission, no one here is going to be losing sleep over it—but he is one tough man, and just manages to keep surviving somehow."

Warenz nodded knowingly at Everett's situation. "Understood General. Now, one of my men has just informed me that you appear to have some minor damage to the forward end of _Destiny_. It must have been when the Warship tried to crash into you."

Nick and Eli both brought up diagnostic screen and searched for damage on the ship, with Eli reporting, "General, nothing has registered that _Destiny_ was badly hit, just a minor deflection at the nose—like a graze."

Nick added, "Ev, all systems reported as normal, no hull breaches or air leaks. If there is damage there, our sensors aren't picking it up!"

Everett made a quick call to one of his men. "Sergeant, take a small well-armed team to the forward end of the ship and survey for damage. Wear full suits in case there is an air leak or hull breach, as the sensors in that area maybe offline, or not reading correctly."

The message came back quickly, "Roger General..."

Back on the shuttles the light was fading fast. Greer looked out toward the second planet in the sky, which gave itself up in great detail of a bluish green and brown world. "Okay people, this is going to be a fly by wire mission. We have a general idea of the layout, but full details are not available until we take out that power grid. Once that is done, all hell will break loose, but we can scan the building—so be ready. Do not shoot to kill unless they are shooting at you. We don't want to have any, and _I mean any_ civilian casualties. Stevens and Lane: disable the electrical field controls in the small building. The rest of you, in two teams; Sgt. Wallace's team, or my team. Don't be afraid to make new doors where you need to, it's a great surprise. Everyone remember your NV G's, spray foam and C4. We're going in hot and hard."

Young Sully asked Ron, "Am I coming too?" hopeful of the answer.

Ron looked his friend, John Wallace in silence.

Sully added, "Come on, I know the place; where the guards are at, all that stuff!"

Greer asked him, "What about your sister? Shouldn't you stay here with her?" He knew what the answer would be.

Sully replied frustrated, "Come on Greer, you know she will be fine here. I can help you guys, you know it."

Reluctantly, Ron agreed even over his better judgment to say no. If Sully was on the level about what he knew, his help would be invaluable. Greer also had a plan just in case this young man was planted to lead them into a trap. Either way, it was a tough decision as Ron had taken a real shine to this kid, and just prayed he was being truthful.

"Okay Sully," said a reserved Ronald, "but your ass will stay behind mine all the way, you got me?"

Sully answered with a question that Greer was sort of expecting, "Do I get a weapon?" he asked hopefully.

The look on Greer's face said it all, "Don't push it!" then he said, "Stevens, hand me that spare set of NV G's and a radio piece."

Ronald placed the radio headset on Sully and instructed him on its use. He then fitted him with an armored vest, and the night vision goggles asking for the shuttle to be blacked out, so Sully could see what he was in for.

Young Sully's excitement was plainly evident. "AAHHH what! Awesomatic!" he bellowed as he looked at the guys in front of him in the darkened shuttle. He lifted them up to see darkness, then back down again to see everything again. "These things are total chilled!"

Greer got the lights back on and told TJ, "Okay; let's do this!"

* * *

><p>Sam landed in the open area just in front of the small garage sized building that they hoped housed the perimeter switch. Stevens and Lane got out and quickly set a small silent charge on the door lock. The muffled explosion didn't attract any attention as they quickly got inside and set to work. There was a simple panel of switches and circuit breakers that looked to be from the 1970's along with a form of pictorial markings of a siren and fence.<p>

Stevens looked at Lane with his finger on the switch, "Heads up, get ready to shoot!"

PFC Lane snuggled his H&K into his shoulder ready for action as Stevens flicked the fence switch. Immediately, the electrical fields came down with Sam confirming the okay. Stevens quickly pulled out all the fuses and damaged the board, while PFC Lane set several C4 charges on the exposed cables and spare generator. As they got back into the shuttle without attracting any attention, Sam suddenly picked up a signal from a nearby ship and immediately called Ron.

"O'oh..." she said worried, "Sgt. Greer, we're about to have company; a lot of company! You guys have got maybe ten minutes. Scans of the floors coming through now." Sam quickly uploaded all the info she could to Greer and Wallace's respective alien I Pad.

Looking over Greer's shoulder, Sully quickly said, "There, at the front; that's the first guard station," as he pointed out the position.

"Sully, are you sure?" he asked for clarity more than concern.

"Positive!" Sully replied without hesitation.

Greer got on the radio, "John, guard house in front of your position; check for armaments' signatures. All clear, blow that first then we'll go through the roof."

Sgt. Wallace scanned and x-rayed for weapon signature traces, and found an arsenal of various units. "On the money Boss, give me ten and we'll go in." He also worked out the best place to open a surprise door.

Spray foam explosive was quickly outlined on the blank wall, and set with a detonator. The men crouched down at a safe distance while Sam moved the shuttle out of the blast radius and aimed at the main generator. Wallace gave a silent countdown with his fingers then opened the door with a bang. Greer's men on the roof detonated their explosives just a second or two after followed by Sam's destruction to the main power supply.

Wallace's men stormed into the hole using their NV G's and took out all the guards systematically in the confusion and darkness before they could recover from the explosion. Greer's men made their way down the stairs, taking out anyone with a weapon in their path.

At the top level there was only relative darkness and cells overflowing with very scared people. Greer tried to calm them down. "We are not here to harm you, we only want our two people; General Traise, and Castell!"

A scared voice yelled out, "Sully! Sully!, I'm here!"

Greer grabbed Sully's arm as he tried to take off and yanked him back in behind yelling, "That armored vest you have doesn't make you totally bullet proof—stay behind me!" They headed toward the lady yelling out, down the eight foot wide passageway surrounded by iron bars. As they got close enough, Greer switched on his weapon light and widened the beam saying, "You know her?"

Sully nodded and said, "My mother's younger sister, Jassamine," He looked to Greer, "We gotta get her out!"

Now Ronald had to make a really tough decision. "Look, Jassamine; there is an Ori warship on its way here, and I need to get my men out first. I can't explain how important they are in all this, but we will be back shortly to get you. In the meantime, I need you to try and keep everyone calm while my guys get these cells opened. Do you understand me?" Ron kept a steely but compassionate look in his eyes as he asked.

Jassamine put her hand through the bars and cradled Sully's face saying with tears, "They told me you and Nay were dead!"

Sully cupped her hand and pressed Greer's question, "We're both fine, okay—please do as he asks, these people are from a different galaxy and have defeated the Ori before; we have to trust them aunty!"

She succumbed to the more immediate need of being released and nodded to Greer. "Alright, but keep him safe," she said while letting Sully go.

Greer smiled at her, "I will Ma'am." He called two men and instructed them to open all the doors starting with Jassamine's cell after the area was secured.

A message came over Greer's radio, "Sergeant, it's Carter; I'm going to have to engage the shields when the fighters come in."

Greer answered, "What's the bad news?"

Sam answered simply. "No cloak; we'll be visible, but protected. I've got incoming fighters now!" Sam cut it short as she de-cloaked the shuttle and brought the shields online moments before a barrage of shots from the several Ori fighters hit. She fired back, taking out two fighters with ease.

Greer continued to catch up with his men who had now cleared down to the first sub level and met up with Sgt. Wallace and his crew.

Ron asked Wallace, "How many prisoners you make?"

Wallace answered, "About 147 on this floor; you?"

Greer responded, "Over 300 on the top two—we need help, and fast! But first we gotta take out these guards. Our guys should be in sub level two."

Men continued to fire from well-protected positions around the sub-level stairwell: Greer looked at his I Pad and backed away several feet from the stairs and said, "Blow a hole right here, big enough to drop through. I'm over this shit!"

Stevens laid down the shaped charges in a ring and set the detonators, then cleared the area yelling, "Fire in hole!"

A large chunk of concrete like floor fell through onto the lower sub-level as M Sgt Greer and Sgt Wallace leapt down shortly after it. It didn't take long in a hail of bullets to remove the guards from their now exposed positions, being that they were also somewhat dazed from the explosion above them.

Greer yelled, "Clear!" over the radio, and watched as the men came down and took up defensive positions and moved forward toward the cells.

They had to contend with only a handful of guards and three heavy doors, using C4 to remove any obstacles in their way, only to find empty cells everywhere; except one.

Greer now stood in front of a man he hated with every fiber of his being. "Get your fucking ass up General Traise! Where's Castell?" he demanded.

Decca looked at him, "What, no hello, good to see you again?"

* * *

><p>Greer called to Wallace without taking his eyes or line of fire off Traise, "Sergeant, cover this man; if he moves, put two in his head!"<p>

Wallace took up a strategic position covering Decca, "Go ahead Sir, I've got him."

The cell door lock was quickly removed with a small explosive as Decca stood with his face against the wall as instructed. Greer quickly moved in and handcuffed him behind his back, then locked an Ancient explosive collar ring around his neck.

Decca knew what it was and said with condescending humor, "So now you can blow me?"

Greer turned him around and smiled saying, "Every one of my men have a trigger for this collar; just remember that next time, Asshole!" and he shoved him out of the cell.

Wallace did a final check of the confined passageway, calling out to see if there was anyone else there. To his surprise, a frail voice answered.

"Help me..." said the man cowering in the corner of his cell.

They quickly removed the lock and opened the semisolid and bared door, to find an older man with a withered face, white beard and light grey hair. He was sickly thin, as though he had been starved.

His next words were simple, "Water? Do you have some water?"

Sgt Wallace knelt down and handed him his open canteen. "Hey, I'm Sergeant Wallace, what's your name my friend?" The man drank fast and coughed, with Wallace assisting him to take it easy. "Woo, woo, woo there pal, slow down; small gulps man, small gulps."

He handed the canteen back to Wallace who put up his hand for him to keep it, "Thank you Sergeant Wallace," he coughed again and composed himself as best he could before saying, "My name is Eraion," (pronounced Air-ray-on) he took another sip of water. "Eraion Kil'ta, High Supreme Councillor; leader of this planet." He sounded breathless and injured.

Wallace assessed the situation quickly saying, "Eraion, are you injured; can you walk?"

Eraion answered quickly, "They have beaten me daily, I think several bones are broken."

Wallace called out, "Lane! Here now!"

PFC Lane ran back to Wallace, "Yes Sergeant?"

Wallace was precise, "Lane, carry this man carefully; he is badly injured with possible broken bones, try not to jolt him too much."

Lane snapped back and moved in to pick Eraion up, "Yes Sergeant!" He was more compassionate with Eraion saying, "Sir, I am going to put one arm under your legs and the other behind your back; tell me if it hurts too much when I lift you." Lucky for Lane, all the hours in training and gym were about to pay off for the solid built young man.

He hoisted Eraion into his arms and lifted him from the floor as a dead weight with ease. Eraion moaned but told him to keep going.

Wallace gave him a quick shot of Varro's pain relieving venom adding, "This will help with the pain, but it will make you feel a little weird, like you're drunk; do you understand what I'm saying?"

Eraion managed a crooked smile, "Yes Sergeant, I understand."

They headed out of the sub-level, without having to fire a shot.

Above the compound the real fight was unfolding. TJ was in the shuttle on the roof, with the shields expanded to cover enough of the building to keep the exit safe. The unfortunate side effect was no cloak, as Sam was doing her level best to take out the Ori fighters in the other shuttle, protecting TJ's position.

Carter was in constant contact with TJ, but it was getting overwhelming. "TJ, there's too many of them, I can't protect you!" she yelled taking out another fighter. Sam looked at the heads up display only to see the shuttle's energy core was depleting fast; but that moment of not watching cost her as a fighter rammed into the shuttle causing massive damage to the rear end, and destroyed itself. For the first time in a long time, Colonel Samantha Carter knew this might be the last thing she ever does—her nerves of steel failed her, as her mind spun out of control.

She cried out, "TJ, I'm hit and going down! Shields are failing, no control!" she struggled with the controls to keep the shuttle upright, but it was a losing battle. Another blast struck the shuttle and took out her remaining shields. With smoke pouring out from the shuttle and fires inside, Sam made one last attempt to save herself and headed for the soft sand of the desert. She yelled into the mic one more time, not sure if TJ could hear her, "I'm heading for the desert sand to try and land..." was all TJ heard.

The next thing Tamara saw was the explosion of the shuttle's impact. Tears streamed down TJ's face as Greer and his men began to load onto the shuttle. "Sam's down Ron, she gone!" she cried...

On the bridge of the _Apollo 2011_ Colonel Mitchell said with a smile, "Damn that was a close one Colonel, nearly didn't get you in time!" He quickly threw his arms around a weeping Sam, realizing how serious this had become, "It's okay Sam, you're safe now—we've got ya."

She let go moments later. "Thanks, but they need help now!"

Cameron calmed her down. "Colonel, we took out the Prior on the warship; the new weapon works a treat. While you guys were doing this, we attacked every Ori warship we could find; and took out all the Priors. Our 302's are defending TJ as we speak; they'll make mincemeat out of them!" Sam gave a deep sigh of relief. "Here," he handed Sam a new head piece, removing her damaged one, "Call TJ, tell them you're okay." Cameron put his hands on Sam's shoulders, leaned forward, and gave her a gentle peck on the forehead. "Don't scare me like that again Sam—too close," he said caringly.

Sam called TJ, "TJ this is Sam, I'm on _Apollo 2011_. They got me out just in time—how's things going down there?"

TJ came back on the radio, "Thank God your safe Sam! There will be some very happy people to know that down here. Hey, can _Apollo _pick up a few rescued people from the compound—about 600 maybe?"

Cameron cut in on the conversation, "Already ahead of you Lieutenant, beaming as we speak!"

As Sgt Wallace and PFC Lane made it back to the roof carrying the injured man Eraion, they stood and watched the last of the Ori fighters explode high in the air away from them. Wallace smiled and looked over to Greer, who was sitting in the back doorway of the shuttle, weapon still in hand.

Sgt. Wallace said, "Well I guess that takes care of the Ori for now..." and they were the last words he would ever speak, as a lone shot rang out from inside their entrance point.

Greer immediately leapt up and fired back, killing the single guard, but it was too late for Sergeant John Wallace;

He died instantly from a head wound, as Greer rushed to him.

* * *

><p>*Dedicated to the men and women of all the armed forces who protect us serving their country.*<p>

"_They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;_

_Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn._

_At the going down of the sun and in the morning _

_We will remember."_

"_Lest We Forget"_


	39. Chapter 39

SGU s04 e19

Castell

Sully and his sister Nay had reunited with their aunty Jassamine after being beamed aboard _Apollo 2011 _with the other prisoners, including Eraion. Eraion was now in talks with General Landry and several other members of the Intergalactic Alliance about the plight of the twin worlds and their suffering under Genesis's control. It was quickly decided to keep his anonymity with both worlds until the right time, after Genesis's control had been removed. Eraion also told them he believed the leader of the other planet Janca was also being held captive.

It was a sombre crew who finally docked back on _Destiny's_ shuttle bay pad. Although Colonel Mitchell had offered to take Sgt. Wallace on _Apollo_, Ronald insisted he be returned to _Destiny_ where he had served. From there it would be one last trip through the Stargate back to Earth. He was honored with the single word commands spoken by Master Sergeant Greer and interned in one of _Destiny's_ cargo bays that had been converted for the purpose and renamed 'Honor to the Fallen' during her upgrades.

As Ronald stood at the doorway he felt a firm, comforting hand on his shoulder.

"He was my friend; not just my right hand man," said Ronald to Everett, holding back his tears.

Everett responded quietly, "They all are. It never only goes one way and you will never forget him either—that I promise you." Everett turned to him and said, "I'm sorry Ron, but this isn't over yet; I need you."

Ronald simply nodded and followed Everett to the bridge.

On the bridge, the news he delivered there wasn't good either—with Everett breaking it remorsefully to everyone around.

"Okay," he said factually, holding in his emotions. "We have suffered many losses. It seems that the Ori were able to adapt some of our weapons technology to their existing warships and have been able to penetrate our shielding the same way we did to theirs. As it stands, we have lost eight out of twenty two _Enterprise class_ ships, the Valeyians have lost significantly more at thirty eight of their _Aura Class type _battle ships and two destroyers have been seriously damaged from Ori ships ramming into them and exploding. We believe the ship that Matt and Chloe are on has been damaged, but has retreated into hyperspace for repairs."

Everett paused for a moment as they watched him holding back his deep sorrow. "One of the _Enterprise_ ships was that of Colonel Telford's, who was also carrying the "Ark of Truth". We believe everyone onboard perished, along with the Ark. I'm sorry, but the information coming through is still somewhat sketchy on detail."

* * *

><p>There was cold silence on the bridge as the crew took it all in.<p>

Everett continued as the tone in his voice became more frail. "Closer to home, the Ori have launched an all out attack on Earth; fortunately, we were prepared for that and able to summon Atlantis, the Asgard and Ursini to assist with our defenses—although the Ori there have invaded Earth in several major cities. Everyone on Earth that can use a weapon is fighting back from what we are hearing and stopping their advance. Eli, can you explain the rest please." Everett rubbed his forehead and quickly wiped the small teardrop from the corner of his right eye.

Eli stood up and opened a picture on the screen. "This is Genesis's new ship. It looks pretty standard for an Ori warship, but this mutha is twice the size. We believe it also packs a hell of a weapons armory, as in a mixture of stolen tech from us and their own."

Greer asked, "So why can't the Valeyian Destroyers take it out?"

Eli nodded at his question but had a simple answer, "They can't get in close enough to it, even cloaked. Their main weapon needs every bit of power they have to fire; as they keep getting heavily attacked each time they get close, they are diverting power from the weapon to their shields—and before you ask—they have tried firing at reduced power; it did nothing. They have told us it needs about 95% to reach full potential; the most they have been able to get is about 60% before they have to retreat."

Everett cut in. "The other small issue is we believe Castell is onboard. None of the Valeyians want to keep trying to destroy it, just disable it if they can."

A radio message came over Everett's headset. "Sir, we have captured two Ori soldiers onboard! One is a Prior, but he has no staff. He claims he has been sent by Genesis and his name is Abarchus—he wants to speak to you General. The other soldier is badly wounded, he needs medical attention and fast!"

Everett replied as Greer readied himself to meet them. "Okay Son, bring him to the holding cell, I've got a medical team on the way—Young out."

Greer looked at Everett, "Okay, so two; how many more are hiding while they play us?"

Ev smiled at him, "That's why I needed ya here: go find 'em!"

Ron didn't need to be told twice and took off to gather his team. He tapped his radio to call Sgt Wallace—then came back to earth with a thud saying quietly through the pain inside, "Damn it..." before he tried again, "Stevens, it's Greer, where are you?"

Abarchus sat quietly in the chair of the holding cell. He knew he had the power to easily escape, but he could feel his Ori powers being restrained in his mind—but there was also another presence that he could not understand; it wasn't human, but it was an entity of consciousness. Unbeknown to him, _Destiny_ was probing his mind, very cautiously.

He said as Everett entered the room, "Greetings, General Young; it is an honor to meet my enemy face to face."

Everett didn't give the game away and kept a straight face replying, "Honor? I have seen the devastation of the worlds in your wake—tell me Abarchus, in what sense is there honor in killing innocent men, women, and children?"

Abarchus looked down at the table remembering the carnage he had helped to generate and said, "You are right General Young; there has been no honor in the deaths of innocents. I maybe a Prior in the Order of the Ori, but yes, I am also a murderer of innocents."

Everett sensed quickly that something wasn't right here; the Ori never agreed with being called murderers, it was not the way of Origin. Death was only for those that opposed the order of Origin; those who submitted and converted were protected by Origin. He said nothing and waited for Abarchus to continue.

"I have been ordered to bring you to Genesis," Abarchus finally said, "And to inflict as much suffering on your crew, including the deaths of your newborns and their mothers before you. However, I am afraid this is one order I shall not be able to carry out. Your friend, Castell, is a prisoner on the bridge of Genesis's ship; and he knows you are here to rescue him."

Everett asked cautiously, "Why are you telling me this?"

Abarchus laughed for a moment before saying, "I would not believe me either; but I too have a wife and young children. I too hear the screams at night and smell the burning flesh of my indifferent past," He looked straight at Everett and said, "_And I too want the killing to stop._"

Everett didn't trust Abarchus at all believing this was some kind of trick to lure him onboard Genesis's ship. "Okay, if you're telling the truth, prove it; give me something useful."

Abarchus went quiet for a moment, then said, "Fifteen Warships have the Ursini's ship weapons technology, a further six have Valeyian shielding. We were unable to obtain all the data on the Ur'torina Drive technology; therefore none of our ships, including Genesis's, have that ability. So far as I know, your fleet has taken out seven of the fifteen ships with advanced weapons. Is that enough; or do you require more proof?"

Everett smiled cautiously at Abarchus saying, "Not nearly enough—you will have to do better than that." As Ev finished speaking, another entity materialized in the room.

Lady Destiny said calmly, "Hello Abarchus; turning over a new leaf are we?"

Abarchus stood from his chair in respect, having never met a true Ascended Being before. "Lady Destiny—I must say, I am surprised that you would reveal yourself in person to me."

"Well, you are on my ship; and I know you could feel my presence in your mind," she replied.

Abarchus took his opportunity to plead his case to an Ascended Being saying courteously, "Please allow me to beseech my case; I understand you have the ability to see all," She nodded at him to continue as Everett just sat and listened.

He laid his cards on the table. "I know that I must pay for the acts I have helped commit; before I do, I want a chance to make something right. As you would understand, Genesis's orders to me on this ship were severe; he wanted both infants and their mothers killed. This was an act I could no longer bring myself to be a part of, and I know that Castell sensed that too."

Lady Destiny put up her hand and spoke kindly to him, "Step forward to me, Prior Abarchus." Abarchus complied, not knowing what was going to happen.

She placed her hand just above his bowed forehead; white light filled the room as Everett shielded his eyes. The light dissipated into a purplish type of twister that spiraled up and out of the room back into the universe. As Abarchus lifted his head and opened his eyes, Everett could see the Prior's eyes had been replaced with soft bluish grey human eyes. The burden of being a Prior of the Ori had been lifted from his soul.

Lady Destiny smiled at him. "There, that's much better."

Abarchus looked at his own hands with new eyes; and a new view on life—although he was somewhat shell shocked and said nothing.

Lady Destiny said to both of them, "For one to observe things differently, one must learn to see through new eyes. Everett, please show him the graciousness of your heart; _I know he will_ _want to make things right_. Remember Abarchus, trust is earned, not taken. I make a promise to you that I will personally keep your family safe," and with that, she vanished.

Everett looked at him, "Okay, now you have my attention; what can you tell me?"

Abarchus beamed a knowing smile back to him with a simple one word answer, "Everything!"

* * *

><p>Everett started with an easy one, "How many more soldiers are aboard my ship?"<p>

Abarchus stated it factually. "Six more, but they would have gone to ground. One other thing that was taken from the _Glassie_s was designs for your military uniforms; hence they are dressed in them for ease of moving about the ship."

Everett immediately got on the radio, "Greer, there are six other men dressed in our uniforms across the ship..."

Abarchus cut in quickly, "They will more likely be in pairs," he said.

Everett continued, "And they will probably be paired, but not necessarily, so keep a sharp eye out and use our surprise codeword around anyone you don't recognize." Unbeknownst to Abarchus, everyone who serves on _Destiny_ has an embedded microchip that has their details, rather than the standard dog tags. It can be scanned within ten meters, and it is only removed once their tour is over. This helps to show the crew from anyone else on a scanner, and allowed Everett to see if Abarchus was on the level for real.

Greer responded, "Got it General, code word is set," He understood that the enemy would be listing in and knew exactly what Everett meant. He turned off his mike and said to Stevens behind him, "I want teams of three, and use the life scanners; they ain't chipped."

Stevens acknowledged Greer's command with a simple nod and made it happen.

On another part of the ship, two soldiers walked up to the guard outside Decca's holding cell and said, "We have orders from General Young to bring the prisoner to interrogation, now!"

Without a radio message from Everett, the Marine immediately knew something was wrong and brought his weapon up to fire, but he was quickly struck by a bullet just below his collarbone, knocking him to the ground—causing his head to strike the hard steel floor. Decca didn't know if they were going to kill him or what, but he did notice that the pistol of the shot Marine was exposed and would be fairly easy for him to obtain. As they opened the cell, Decca fell forward imitating some form of drugging effect. With his large size, the men strained when they went to pick him up, but he struggled with them drunkenly, managing to get close enough to fall across the unconscious, bleeding Marine—and grabbed the pistol, hiding it in his pants quickly.

One of the Ori solders said, "Looks like they've drugged him with something; probably to make him easier to deal with," as they struggled to lift him and drag him along; inwardly, Decca smiled hearing the comment.

As the trio made their way back to the front of _Destiny_ the long way, Decca knew it would be easy to take both of these men out. The only thing that stopped him was that _Destiny_ would alert the crew if she detected any weapons fire. He decided to allow them to take him wherever they intended to go, and then he would act. It took some time, but finally they reached the Ori's meeting point.

One of the soldiers said, "Watch him while I make contact," and he quickly vanished from sight.

This was Decca's chance; standing up he said, "You know, the ship will detect any weapons fire or attempt to beam out, so I don't know how this is going to end for you."

Unfortunately for the Ori soldier, he walked up to the unrestrained General to answer him. In a flash, Decca knocked the pistol from his hand and punched him hard on the side of his face, breaking the soldier's jaw. He quickly got behind the wounded man, grabbed his head and broke his neck with a sickening twist.

"One down, one to go," he said with a sly grin, as he armed himself with the soldier's weapons, and scurried away.

It wasn't long before another Marine discovered the wounded guard at the holding cell and called for help, reporting that Decca had escaped. The wounded soldier had regained consciousness, although somewhat groggy and told of the two Marines who shot him. The message was passed onto Greer quickly.

Decca had cautiously made his way through the ship without any further contact with anyone. He was smart enough to know not to draw attention by getting in a fight as he had decided to pay an old acquaintance a visit; Ginn. Locating her wasn't too hard as he knew where their quarters were, and he had a life scanner from the dead solder. Hiding across from the room, he detected five life signs in the room; not knowing who, he quickly found a better hiding spot from where he could see and waited. His patience was rewarded a short time later as Eli stepped out of the room, holding Lala, followed by Ginn. Behind her, Decca blinked twice as though he was looking at a ghost, seeing Te'arly holding baby Hadri'an. Eli handed his daughter back to Ginn, and kissed them both goodbye, heading off down the corridor.

After Eli had disappeared, he decided the best entrance was to simply knock on the door and hoped that they would just think it was Eli coming back. He drew one of his two pistols, and headed on over to the door.

Ginn opened the door saying, "Okay Eli, what did you for..." and stopped mid sentence, freezing in fear, as Decca pointed the gun at her.

He said calmly, "Hello Ginn, mind if I come in?" as he walked in and shut the door.

Ginn backed up and sat down on the bed clutching Lala, unable to speak for a moment from fear. Finally she got out shakily, "Please, don't hurt us!"

Decca turned his attention to Te'arly, "Well this is a surprise; I thought I already killed you?"

Te'arly answered directly staring him down, "You did; but someone else has other plans for us, and the likes of you!"

Decca looked at the two women in front of him holding their babies close. He said to Te'arly kindly, "Please, sit down with Ginn."

Te'arly did as instructed, believing that this may be the last thing she and Ginn would ever do, so she asked point blank, "If you are you going to kill us please, I beg of you, don't hurt the children; they have no part in this war, just get it over with!"

Decca had been a part of some horrific atrocities, but this time something else cut through his mind: an image of the Goa'uld slaying his wife and child before him. He tried to point the gun at Ginn as she closed her tearing eyes cradling Lala, but found himself staring at an image of his beloved first wife, holding their child just after birth. Decca's hand began to shake as years of suppressed emotions broke out from a locked part of his mind and came crashing through his tainted soul. This man who had shown no mercy to many finally succumbed to hidden emotions and broke down, crumbling to the floor in tears.

* * *

><p>In a flash, Te'arly pulled a loaded pistol from the drawer of the coffee table a few feet from the bed and pointed it at Decca's head. She was scared, but in control.<p>

Decca looked up at her and said through the pain, "I'm sorry for what I have done; please end it for me!"

By now Ginn had also armed herself from the gun in the bedside dresser. Decca looked at her and said loudly, "Just kill me now!"

Ginn was about to fire when the door suddenly sprang open and two soldiers stood there weapons aimed. Instinctively Decca spun around, recognizing one who had taken him from the cell—he knew they were Ori, not Marines—as did Te'arly, who always made a point of knowing and remembering all the names and faces of everyone on the ship.

His immediate reaction, like Te'arly and Ginn, was to protect the children. Still holding the pistol in his hand, he lunged at them and fired, killing the closest one. The second one fired back, hitting Decca several times at near-point blank range. As their world went into slow motion, Te'arly and Ginn both nearly emptied the mags in their pistols at the still standing soldier, peppering him with many fatal rounds across his body.

With both of them down, Te'arly knelt down to the severely wounded Decca and asked, "You protected us; why?"

Decca coughed out blood, as Te'arly's instinct was to hold pressure on his wounds, while Ginn held both the unharmed children and a gun on him. He managed to get out, "I'm sorry...for the...pain I caused," he coughed up more blood, "Your children... b..b...brought me back...from...the dark place I was in," he struggled with another breath. "Please Te'arly...forgive me!"

Of all the traits Te'arly had, her compassion and forgiveness were unconditional; regardless of the soul who asked. She said with a slight tear, "You saved our babies, and us," she looked back at Ginn who nodded; then said unconditionally,

"_We forgive you..._"

Greer and his men arrived at the door to find Te'arly still holding pressure on his wounds. Decca moved his weakening arm to Te'arly's hand upon him and gently pushed it away.

In his last breath he said to her, "My wife is...calling...me," and they were the final words of General Decca Traise.

Greer asked, "You guys okay?"

Ginn was shaking holding both Lala and Hadri'an, as she dropped the pistol on the bed; Te'arly was covered in Decca's blood, but a stillness had come over her.

Te'arly said, "We're okay Ron," she paused for a minute then said, "He saved us—it must have been something about the children that opened his mind again; but, he gave his life to save us."

Greer reported back to Everett, "General, all six Ori are down or captured; Traise is dead, but there is one hell of story behind that," he helped Te'arly up, "Let's get you washed up," he said gently to her.

Greer helped Te'arly to wash, seeing that she was somewhat shaky on her feet. He said, "You know, I heard what you said to him. You are the strongest woman I have ever had the honor to know; there is no way I could have forgiven someone like that."

Te'arly replied, "He saved our lives and our children; he came with the intention to take them, but couldn't. Everyone deserves a second chance, even if it is with their last breath—that is what believing in unconditional love means Ronald; _unconditional_," Te'arly shed a few tears as she washed off the blood on her hands, for a man's soul that had been lost; and finally found. Little did she know at that point in her life, that several Ascended Beings including Lady Destiny, watched and agreed on Te'arly's final act of her physical life; Ascension. She would eventually become one of them after her life's journey.

Everett was still sitting with Abarchus gathering information about Genesis's ship and any weaknesses it may have. He was told that during its construction, the Ori tried many different ways to destroy it, and each time, they corrected any weakness. It was going to be one tough ship to destroy or disable, no matter which way they went about it.

Everett turned his attention to saving Castell. "So you're saying that Genesis wants me on his ship, so he can destroy _Destiny_ in front of me and Castell, is that how I understand it?" Ev was afraid of the answer.

Abarchus replied, "Along with everyone you care about aboard, yes. There may be a way though; Castell has regained some of his powers, especially after your ships took out many Priors—as this has left Genesis struggling to keep his reign of power over the Ori. He has been trying to convert Castell to Origin, believing he will become an Ascended Orici and take the ultimate control over the Ori. Of course, Castell was somewhat harder to contain than he thought; this has lead to many Priors being used collectively to control him and suppress his abilities. Now that many have been killed, Genesis is slowly losing his grip over Castell—but Castell still isn't strong enough to fight him alone," he paused for a moment, then said:

"_But both of you together; that is a different story_"

Everett thought for a moment, but _he knew_ this is what he had been trained for by the Valeyians. He said, "Okay, let me think about this for a few moments," as he got up and left the room.

Outside he made a call to the bridge, "Eli, this is Everett; come in."

Eli responded, "Yes General?"

"Eli, send a message to all ships; do not attack Genesis's ship; I repeat, do not attack Genesis's ship! Understand Eli?" he waited for a response.

Eli said, "Loud and clear General, I'll pass on the order immediately," Eli hailed the other ships to pass on the message, even though he didn't understand why.

Everett walked back into the interrogation room and sat before Abarchus. "Okay, what do you need now?"

Abarchus took a deep breath and sighed, "I need to bring _Destiny_ to heed in front of Genesis's ship; then lower your shields so we can beam onboard." He knew asking would provoke a severe response from Everett.

And it did, with him leaning across the table saying bluntly, "Are you fucking kidding me? Drop the shields in front of his ship? The moment we do, we're all dead!" he was fuming at this request.

Abarchus put up his hands up in defense and said, "General Young, he wants you alive to see their demise; I can assure you he will not fire if he believes that I am delivering you as he has ordered. This is what he has to believe. I need your cooperation to help you win this fight, no matter how absurd it sounds." He was right and Everett knew it; he just didn't want to accept it.

Finally, he conceded, even though this was his worst nightmare coming true. "Alright, but you need to give me some time to explain this; or it won't happen," he stood up, "I'll be back in a few minutes," he headed out of the room angrily again.

* * *

><p>Everett got on the ship's com and called <em>Apollo 2011<em>, asking to be beamed aboard. He was gone before the com disconnected. Sitting down with General Landry and Colonel Mitchell, he outlined the plan Abarchus had put forward.

Hank asked, "Can the destroyer cover _Destiny_ if we agree to do this? If they can't, then there is no way it's going to happen. Our plan was to do an all out attack run and bombard him with everything we have, all at once."

Cameron asked, "I don't get why those destroyers, that can take out a planet, can't take out his ship?"

Everett answered, "It's more complicated than that; the shielding is part Valeyian, and part Ori with something else mixed in. The destroyers have only managed minimal damage so far before having to retreat; even they have their limitations." He then added, "Warenz has theorized that a decent explosion into the shields would create a weakness that would allow them to blast through enough to do serious damage, or destroy it."

Hank inquired, "What are we talking, Mark IX or bigger?"

Everett answered carefully, "Much, much bigger."

Hank shook his head saying angrily, "For God's sake, just tell me how much bigger?!"

Everett looked frustrated, but answered him. "Nearly as much a bang as _Galassie_ gave off, Ur'torina Drive kind of bang; that's how much—far more than any nuke we have!" he yelled back, before there was a moment's silence.

Cameron asked seriously, "Would an _F-302's_ drive be big enough?" he looked at them both in turn. "We could always set it to blow and pilot it remotely from here."

Hank calmed down and asked Cameron, "Can we fly them remotely?"

Cameron had already thought of it. "We could link the navigation to one of our simulators here, and fly it that way; I might need a bit of help sorting out the details, but it should be possible, I'll call Sam," he said as he reached for his radio.

Hank made a decision quickly. "Okay Colonel, get Carter and make it happen. Now, Everett; as long as Warenz can cover you, I don't think we have much of a choice but to follow this through. At least it may buy us some time to get this other plan together. I understand the cost of this to you personally if it goes wrong; but we have basically run out of options. Like the old saying—the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Hank walked over to him and shook his hand, "Good luck Everett; God's speed!"

In this moment, General Everett Young knew his own destiny for the first time, maybe in his life. No matter which way this was to turn out, he _had to act_. This was the path before him that Valhalla had seen in her own visions; and now it would be up to him alone as to which way that path turned. In a strange twist, he felt a stillness and calm in his mind the likes of he had never before experienced. It was then that he began to realize, time was standing still; everything around him had frozen—people, machines, everything. He walked softly across the bridge of _Apollo_, past the frozen crew and peered out the main screen into space; he found the perfect moment of pure silence and understanding within the universe. It all crashed around him like a freight train as Castell called through to his mind;

"_Everett, hurry!"_

Life sprung back and Everett felt himself being beamed back aboard _Destiny_, directly in front of Abarchus: he said quickly, "Okay, let's do this. But first, you don't look like a Prior; we need to fix that." He stood in front of Abarchus and covered his eyes with both of his hands for a moment. Using the teachings of the Valeyians, he was able to change Abarchus's eyes back before revealing them to him. Everett said, "Now, that takes care of that, but it's only temporary; I have no idea how long it will last."

Abarchus's eyes had reverted back to a Prior's, but the rest of him had remained. "I may look the part Everett," he said, "but he will see through it fairly quickly. I will do my best not to give it away," he pulled up the hood on his coat and headed off with Everett to the bridge.

There was stunned silence on the bridge as Everett walked in, followed closely by Abarchus.

Everett said to the stunned faces of Eli, Nick, and Franklin, "He's on our side now and not a Prior; but I need you all to behave as though he is in control and still a Prior; and he has something to tell all of you," he allowed Abarchus to stand in front of him.

Abarchus pulled down his hood and rubbed his bald head with a stroke of his hand saying, "I am not here to cause harm, or convert you to Origin. Lady Destiny has seen to that, and given me my previous life back. Many years ago I was friends with Castell; it was seeing him that helped to restore my humanity as it were and oppose Genesis. My mission was to bring General Young to heed upon Genesis's ship and for him to watch the destruction of all those he loved dearly; as you may now see, I am attempting to prevent that. I need your cooperation to help Genesis believe that I have taken control of _Destiny_ and brought her to bear before him. This will require us to be in front his ship, well within weapons range and unshielded," he paused for a moment to allow them to take in what he had just asked; no one said anything, but tensions on the bridge were immense.

He continued, "I believe the Valeyian Destroyer will be covering us, but hidden from sight. Our plan is to get General Young onto Genesis's ship so that he and Castell can fight Genesis together. After he is defeated, do what you will with his ship; but my advice would be total annihilation," he stood back behind Everett.

Eli blurted out, "Hey, just a thought: what if this all goes wrong; we'd be all seriously cluster fucked!" his anger was plainly evident for everyone to see as he continued, "No shields? No weapons armed? This is bullshit! We might as well just all bend over and get fu..."

"Eli; enough!" yelled Everett sternly, "This is the plan whether you like it or not; and I don't like it anymore than you do, but if we don't try something—anything, the whole universe will pay." He composed himself and found a slight smile, "I understand Eli, we all have so much to lose here; but we are caught between a rock and a hard place, and there is no other way," Eli settled and nodded to Everett, as he ordered, "Franklin; take us in..."

Messages were sent to Warenz's ship, _Ha'tinge_ and _Apollo_ as _Destiny_ traveled in FTL for the short trip back to the twin planets. Franklin brought her around and faced Genesis's ship head on at 100km distance, shields down, and weapons unarmed as instructed.

Before Abarchus opened the com, Everett said to everyone there, "Alright people remember; act, don't think!"

Abarchus opened the com and hailed Genesis's ship. "My Lord Genesis; I give you _Destiny_ and her crew, unharmed for your mercy."

Genesis came on screen; Everett could feel his intentions toward the crew, but so far, Genesis took no action—only saying, "I see the infants and their mothers are still alive Abarchus; I can feel their presence among the ship. I am not so disappointed as I first thought—this gives_ me_ a better opportunity. Bring Everett to me with his beloved and child, now!"

Abarchus bowed and said emotionlessly, "Yes my Lord, prepare to beam us out at once," as he turned, under his hood he gave a quick shake of his head and expression to Everett to say, '_This wasn't part of our plan'_, and Everett could do nothing to stop it either.

They could clearly see Castell, unbound, seated beside Genesis. He appeared to be in a state of meditation, and did not seem his normal self. Eli figured that would be right for the circumstances he was in.

The next thing they all knew, Abarchus, Everett, Te'arly and little Hadri'an were beamed directly to the bridge of Genesis's ship. What Genesis didn't know was at that point, the Valeyian databank on _Destiny_ began to light up and buzz with an intensity never before seen. Warenz received a message directly to his ship, hidden in a quantum space pocket, just off _Destiny's_ starboard aft wing, at about 200km. It read;

"Everett, Te'arly, Hadri'an, Abarchus: taken to bridge of _Prime Origin_; quantum link enabled."

* * *

><p>Warenz called to his first officer, "I want eyes and ears on that bridge now!"<p>

His officer responded immediately, "Yes Commander, opening micro channel."

Warenz watched the hazy image appear on his main screen of the destroyer's bridge. He asked again of his right hand man, "Can you isolate Te'arly and Hadri'an's bio signatures? We need to be ready to pluck them out should they be endangered; I will not allow an infant and his mother's life to be taken on my watch!" Warenz was furious, but remained calm knowing not to give the game away unless there was no other option.

"Commander, I have their bio signatures locked ready for immediate transport on your command," said his first officer sternly.

Warenz nodded to him and said, "The first sign of trouble, get them out."

His officer asked, "Shall I also lock onto Castell and Everett, Commander?"

The Commander replied, "We could be detected by the Ori, locking onto Castell; this is his and Everett's fight, and they must face this demon and follow it through, no matter the consequences to themselves." He knew some wars just had to be fought in order to return balance—and this was one...

Standing and facing Genesis for the first time in person, Everett could feel his powers and knew this wasn't going to be easy to beat him.

He said to Genesis simply, "Okay, here I am; let's do this!"

Genesis smiled, and immediately forced Everett onto his knees before him, using his Ori powers. "Now you will bow to Origin; now you will _bow to me_!"

Ev couldn't believe the suppression he felt upon him; no matter how hard he tried to resist, it was like a building was pushing down upon his shoulders. In defiance he got out the words, "Never!"

Genesis let him up saying, "Oh, such defiance—tell me, Everett; have you ever seen the blood of a child spray across their mother's face?" a heartless Ori soldier ripped Hadri'an off Te'arly and held a knife to his throat, as Genesis continued his torture toward them, "I only have to give the word, and well—need I have to explain?"

Everett Immediately bowed down to Genesis and begged for their lives, "Please—this is between you, me and Castell; they have no part in this war, let them go!" he stayed down at Genesis's feet, praying for a miracle; and got one!

On the bridge of _Ha'tinge_, Warenz punched the console before him and yelled angrily, "Get them out now!"

Te'arly and Hadri'an just vanished from the bridge of Genesis's ship; from seemingly nowhere and reappeared on the bridge of _Ha'tinge_ before him. Te'arly rushed to pick up Hadri'an who was on the floor, bundled up unharmed in his white blanket, but crying.

Warenz walked to her calmly, "Te'arly, I am Commander Warenz of the Valeyian Destroyer _Ha'tinge_. You and Hadri'an are safe," he smiled at her and held Te'arly up as she collapsed with fear into his chest, crying.

Back on the ship, _Prime Origin_, the moment of their disappearance was used for cover as Everett leapt to Castell and grabbed his hand, immediately creating a Valeyian soul meld with him.

Time froze in that instant.

Everett found himself seated on a large carved rock in what could be described as an endless Japanese rock garden, facing Castell. The moment was a feeling of complete serenity and peace, surrounded by an unconditional understanding of _everything_.

"Hello my good friend, welcome to my mind," said Castell with a beaming smile. Everett's first thoughts were of Te'arly, but Castell already knew that and answered, "They are with Warenz on his ship; he pulled them out through a small tear in space. A little like a portable version of a Stargate; anyway my friend, they are safe and protected," he watched Everett breath a big sigh of relief.

"Thank you Castell. Now how do we defeat this asshole?" Ev asked plainly.

Castell answered simply in his playful style, "With our minds, my friend; you know, like how you Earthlings say, 'use the force'," he laughed at Everett's expression, but then said, "This moment in time is about to end, Ev; get ready to do battle!"

Back on _Destiny_ a more subdued battle was happening between Nick, Eli, and Franklin on the bridge, over the issue of reinstating _Destiny's_ Stargate to operational.

Nick made his point angrily, "We know that ship has a Stargate and there are two people over there who have some strange power to activate it by waving their hands around. I'm just saying Eli, if we bring it back online, it may be a means of escape for them!"

Eli fought back with emotions running high, "But we are too close to use it; we're only about 100km away, too much could go wrong!"

Nick shook his head, "You're not thinking straight Eli—that's only if there are two receiving gates close by; the connection may jump if something interferes with it, like a solar flare. They would be dialing from his gate to ours!"

Franklin added, "He's right Eli, the distance doesn't matter, but being this close we may get a power surge. To be honest, I am only guessing though." The three of them all looked at each other.

Eli conceded, "Okay; fire it up," they brought _Destiny's_ Stargate back online...

As time returned to the present on Genesis's ship, Genesis watched as Te'arly and Hadri'an rapidly vanished within a circle of bluish white light surrounding them. Everett had locked his hand around Castell's forearm, and vice versa, hauling Castell to his feet in front of Genesis. A guard quickly moved toward Everett, but was disarmed by Abarchus, who then threw the guard's Earth like pistol to Everett. Castell drew on his and Everett's combined strength to overpower Genesis's ability to use the might of the Ori to hold them back.

Everett fired four rounds from the pistol and with Castell subduing Genesis's power to shield himself, all four struck their target. Genesis dropped his staff as he fell to the ground; Ev fired more shots at the staff until it was destroyed. Castell held back the Ori's power, but now he had help from the Ascended Ancients. In a joint effort, the Ascended Ancients and living Valeyians focused all of their combined energies upon the converted Ori followers,

And awakened them to the truth of the Ori's corrupting power.

The end of the Origin and the Ori, had finally come: _Forever!_

Everett struggled to stand, with Castell now holding him up and saying, "Whoa there big fella, take it easy!" and put his arm around him for support.

Everett said weakly, "Talk about having the shit knocked out of you, how do you guys do it?!"

Castell smiled at his friend, "You'll be fine in a couple of days Ev, your energy will come back to you."

Everett looked at the lifeless Genesis on the floor of the bridge, "Is he dead?"

Castell nodded, "Yep, cactus!"

Ev asked, "How did you...?" Castell cut him short.

"Hmmm, joint effort I believe; I'll explain it some other time. Let's just say I had a little help," replied Castell. As they walked past Abarchus he asked, "Are you coming Abarchus?"

Abarchus smiled. His eyes had reverted back to normal, and his life was once again his own as he replied, "No, I have to clean up this mess; I think the captain can go down with his ship too. I'll contact you on _Destiny_ when I get everyone else off this nightmare of a ship, then you can destroy it!"

The Stargate on _Destiny_ suddenly sprung to life once again; two tired souls walked through, carrying each other. The loyal crew of _Destiny_ ran to their aid and helped them.

One of those was Ronald, who asked, "Is it over?"

Everett smiled at him and said, "Finally Ron, for the Ori, it's over."

Ron called the bridge, "Eli, shields up!"

Everett said, "Get me to the bridge, there's one last thing we need to do."

On the bridge, Everett stood and looked out the window at the tiny speck in the distance. Abarchus had removed everyone from the ship, but had left the body of Genesis where he lay, on the bridge and lowered the shields. He then turned to Ronald and said;

"Sergeant, destroy that ship once and for all!"

Ron smiled as he readied to push the button and said,

"With pleasure General!"

Within moments, Genesis and his massive ship was obliterated in a ball of white light as _Destiny_ sped off to avoid the blast radius.

Everett gave a relaxing sigh and said loudly to everyone;

"Finally, it's over!"


	40. Chapter 40

Hello to everyone that has been following this story. It is with regret that I tell you this chapter will be the final episode, and the end of this series. I have other writing projects that I am pursuing, some in Sci-Fi, some in other directions, but all are original works. All of your comments and feedback from PM's have been so supportive, that I can't thank you enough. Fanfic has taught me many things about writing and storytelling, and I would like to thank the creators of the site for giving amateur writers like me the opportunity to post our work. I want to make special mention and my sincere thanks to samcarter2, SkyHighFan, and AlexanderD, for the assistance over the last few years in reviewing and assisting in my work; their comments and input have been very helpful. I think it was only fitting to leave _Destiny _in a similar way to the original series, perhaps with a somewhat open ending —so I hope you enjoy the final chapter. Once again, thanks for reading and ENJOY!

Cheers, Steve1911

SGU s04 e20

_Destiny_

At the edge of the Valeyian galaxy, a decision had to be made by all of the crew. They had not yet reached that point, but Eli and Nick knew what was coming and informed Everett, who told the rest of the crew on _Destiny_.

It had been four months since the final defeat of the Ori, who now only existed in a database of history. Lessons had been learnt, and the people of Earth had a real awakening of just how fragile life can be. Although the Ori were defeated while attacking Earth during the war, it wasn't without loss. Several major cities across Europe and the Americas were invaded and had sustained heavy casualties and destruction while other parts of the world were left untouched.

Everett stood atop of the stairs in the gate room, while everyone else gathered to hear the message that had finally come through from Earth. He read the freely spoken words of the current United States President, who had addressed the United Nations and the Intergalactic Alliance on Earth several hours ago.

"I am here today, not as a President, but as a member of our human race. If anyone on Earth still had doubts about alien life elsewhere in the universe, they had it forced upon them up close and personal only a few months ago. Military personal, police, emergency services, and civilians, from all over the world, banded together in the fight for our lives, against the twenty three Ori armies that managed to land within city limits and country lines. For the first time in our history, this was not a war about politics, power, or money; it was about the right of humanity's freedom and our right to survive as the human race. While our alien allies and others took on the might of the Ori fleet in another galaxy, with the help of a few Asgard and Ursini, mankind defended this amazing planet we call home."

"I know there have been terrible losses in many countries; but I say to you, our human spirit of never giving up, never surrendering, will give us the courage we need to forge on ahead. To our brave men and women who today are still out in space, putting their lives on the line in the name of peaceful exploration, I wish to sincerely thank you all—for your courage and sacrifice, in the face of an extremely formidable enemy."

"Finally, I would like to say to the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, upon the altar of humanity's freedom; on behalf of the eight billion citizens of Earth—we will grieve for your loss and hold in our hearts that they now rest in peace, knowing the countless lives of ours and other worlds that they have helped save with their heroic actions. May their families find comfort within these actions of our fallen heroes—they will be forever remembered by all."

* * *

><p>As Everett finished reading, a tear dripped onto the screen of his alien I Pad. They too had suffered loss and heartache. Dr Brody was nursing Captain Tez back to health after her <em>F-302V<em> had been rammed by an Ori fighter causing a heavy leak of radiation. It had taken something precious from both of them—her ability to have or carry a child. The blast of radiation had gone through Tez's lower abdomen first, causing severe damage to her womb, ovaries and part of her intestinal tract. Even the Valeyians with all their technology said that 'Short of transferring your consciousness into a cloned body, there was nothing we could do to repair your damaged womb tissue—to save your life, a hysterectomy had to be preformed. Deep from our hearts, we are painfully sorry for this loss Captain Tez.'

They had each other, and the Valeyians had been able to halt and repair all the other radiation damage to her body. They decided that their love would be strong enough to make that one sacrifice.

Ronald Greer was also coming to terms with the loss of a good man and his close friend, Sgt. John Wallace. He accompanied Sgt. Wallace back to Earth, and taken the task of notifying his family in person. Greer answered John's wife's tear-soaked questions of how and why with total honesty and humility, shedding his own tears alongside hers. He also handed her a Bronze Star awarded to John, for his heroic actions in saving many lives.

Nick put his hand on Everett's shoulder, knowing he was still upset at the loss of Telford. Even with all they had been through, he had always considered him a good friend. A now 'semi retired' Jack O'Neill had gone to visit Everett's ex wife personally, to break the news.

"He does a good speech Ev, I hope it helps with the healing back on Earth," said Nick compassionately.

Everett smiled at him and winked, "Aye, 'Scotty'," he said in a more cheery voice attempting to lighten the mood, making Nick smile.

Nick stated, more than asked, in a somewhat more serious manner, "You haven't told them yet?" as they walked down the stairs together.

Everett answered, "I was about to, but then this came through and I figured it was enough for one day."

Rush contemplated the answer for a moment before saying, "Well, we still have a week before we reach the outer limit of the galaxy; but you as know, there are only two directions we can go. _Destiny's_ programming wants her to go the distance, but it is a long time onboard. A lot can happen in twenty two years!"

They shared an understanding look before Everett said, "Yeah, we'd get old!" He hung his head and shook it softly before saying as he looked back to Rush, "Three hundred and ninety million light-years; are you absolutely sure Nick? I mean, I still don't get it—why does _Destiny_ want to go to this far galaxy, when there is one only fifteen million light-years away? It's only just under a year's travel in stasis."

Nick nodded with a smile, "Unfortunately, yes," he said with his own disbelief adding, "And that's at _Destiny_'s top intergalactic FTL speed in the void, around two thousand light years per hour," he paused contemplating the answer. "As for why, I guess _she_ has a reason; Lady Destiny wouldn't even give us a straight answer to that one!"

Everett joked back, "Maybe we should have taken the offer of the Ur'torina Drive; be much faster."

Nick laughed and said, "Even a hyper-drive can only do around *5000 LY per hour; and as I told you, _she_ didn't want that; you know _she_ gets temperamental sometimes." They walked off together and headed for the observation deck.

(*Based on SGA Daedalus trip time of three weeks from Milky Way to Pegasus Galaxy. 2.5m ly distance at 1.3 ly/second: or 4960.3 ly/hr (Source, SG Wiki—just imagine where mankind would be if it were possible! Warp Drive? Maybe one day...)).

Several days earlier, Nick had sat down with Eli and Lisa in the observation deck going over the reasons for _Destiny's_ choice of galaxy. The ship had obtained masses of information from the Valeyian Databank about the next thirty galaxies, and to _Destiny_'s AI, it seemed a waste of "_her _time" traveling through them. This had caused major issues for the crew, as _Destiny_ had selected a galaxy that would take nearly twenty two years to reach at her maximum void FTL speed.

Another party came to sit with them at the table; Lady Destiny. Nick found it frustrating knowing she had all the answers at her fingertips, yet would not tell them.

Eli started with a smile toward Lady Destiny. "Is it you, or the ship?" His answer came from her warm hand gently placed upon the top of his.

"No, it's me in the flesh Eli. I see we have a dilemma, " she said still clasping his hand motherly, " I thought I might offer you some assistance."

Nick was first to politely ask the most pressing question, "Why the distance? What is so important about the galaxy she has chosen?"

Lady Destiny looked intently at Nick as she contemplated her next words. "It has far more to do with what you all seek than with that which _Destiny_ herself is programmed for."

Eli and Lisa subconsciously leaned forward to her some sort of revelation, being noticed by Lady Destiny as she continued.

"All of you seek understanding of what the Ancients found in the background noise of the this universe's beginning—just how close to that, do you believe we are? I believe _Destiny_ is trying to help you understand by taking you to a galaxy which, in universal terms—is strangely very young."

Lisa asked, "Is that because it's a galaxy we would never get to see from Earth, given the expansion rate of the universe?"

Lady _Destiny_ answered smiling at her. "You're a very smart and beautiful young lady, Lisa—but that isn't really why. Don't forget how far out in space from your home world you are—so _your _observable universe is far different than that of Earth. In fact, your own galaxy is just a mere speck of light from out here! _Destiny_ has covered nearly more distance than Earth's observable universe is wide."

The trio wasn't surprised by this announcement of distance; furthermore, they were intrigued by the vastness unfolding before them. Lisa was well aware of the universe as we know it, with the distance between galaxies expanding exponentially—some were even traveling faster than the speed of light due to _Hubble's Law_* (Wikipedia), and would never be seen. In fact, the void distance between galaxies, even in their alternate path, was always increasing between the next.

The penny dropped for Nick as he realized what _Destiny_ was attempting to do, as he said gazing in thought, "_Destiny _is trying to take us back in time! She wants us to see it with our own eyes—is that what you're leading to, Lady Destiny?"

She answered cryptically. "If you know where you came from, you will find where you're going... Besides," she added, "It will give the children a chance to grow up along the way," with that, she smiled and left them.

Lisa just stared at Nick and Eli for a moment before saying carefully, "Time travel?! Come on, how?"

* * *

><p>Nick and Eli both nodded with Eli saying, "Well, falling into the magnetic field of a star can cause time shifts. Just remember when the second <em>Destiny<em> showed up, and what happened to the _Infinite Voyage_ and their crew from a supernova. I believe it may be possible _Destiny_ is attempting to skim by several stars in FTL along the way," Eli was now lost in his own thoughts of the complexities of time travel.

Lisa still wasn't convinced. "Okay, say it is possible. How can _Destiny_ know what the outcome of such a move will be? Skimming through a star in FTL—how do we know what time shift we'll get, if any?"

The two boys looked at each other believing in a feeling they both had as Nick responded to Lisa's valid question. "Something tells me we may be getting a little help from a higher source—Lady Destiny and her ascended friends."

Eli spoke his mind openly and put his thoughts out there for everyone. "The Ancients are amazing teachers and now that they are free to interact if they choose, I believe they want us to see the answers with our own eyes. What do we learn as a race of beings if we are just handed everything on a spoon? This is their way of sharing more than an answer, by giving us the opportunity to experience it for ourselves."

Lisa hadn't thought of it this way and Eli's comments made complete sense. She said, "Like their way of finishing the mission perhaps?"

Nick answered, "I believe so Lisa and it seems we have been chosen to do so."

As with many ships, scuttlebutt had traveled about a twenty two year stasis sleep over a massive void crossing. What was even more scary, a long void crossing through time/space without any major gravitational influence, meant the Earth may age much faster in that twenty two years, than the ship. Just how much, was a strongly debated theory by the crew.

Camille and Vanessa were seated at a table in the galley, having a quiet conversation about what to do next. Vanessa's time in the military was at an end in a couple of months, as she contemplated life outside of all things now familiar to her.

Camille was saying, "It would be a big step, but I'm sure there are plenty of outside contracting companies that would see the benefits of where you have been, and what you know. I don't think it would be hard for you to find work, if that's what concerns you," Camille reached across the table and took a hold of her hand, squeezing it gently.

Vanessa replied honestly, "It's not the whole work thing, I mean, I have money and that. Like where the hell can we spend it out here?" she chuckled, "I just don't know how I would feel about fitting back into so called 'normal nine to five life' after living out here."

Camille looked at her with love in her heart, "But you'd have me..." she said softly.

Vanessa pulled Camille's hand closer and kissed the back of it, "I know Camille, _and that's not my worry._ It's more the amount of adjustment from being _here_ with all this, and then being able to let it go. I'm just not sure how I'll cope with that—I mean, where the hell do you find a job that compares to this?" she waved her hands from the center outward, motioning toward _Destiny_.

Chloe walked past and smiled at them, as they quickly changed their conversation to a more recent event with Vanessa saying to Camille quietly, "Do you think she is showing yet?"

Camille laughed inaudibly at the question before answering, "Geese, they only had their honeymoon just over three months ago; give her a chance!" she laughed a little louder this time.

Vanessa joined in adding, "_Destiny_ seems to be becoming a maternity ward," she chuckled loudly.

Camille said, "If I was a betting person, I'd put money on that they stay out of stasis, with Eli, Ginn and the others. You know, to give the children a chance to grow up around each other. I heard her early scan was suggesting twins, one of each; that will make it interesting in later years!" she said with a cheeky smile.

They got up and took their food trays back to the counter, and left the Galley for some R and R quiet time.

Another Earth day passed without any unusual event, except for Castell and his immediate family coming aboard unannounced to see everyone. As the Stargate came to life, Castell telepathically called Everett to let him know they were coming through. Everett gave a call to the gate room to stand down, and then went down to meet him.

Castell stood in his best golden robes, his wife and daughter looking stunning as usual in matching royal blue and purple flowing dresses. "Greetings Earthling!" he said in a perfectly pitched voice-over of Melvin the Martian, "Take me to your leader!" Everett and several others in the room began to laugh—which started with silence but soon became hysterical.

After a moment of trying to compose himself, Everett finally said, "Oh, that would be me!" as he continued laughing, doubled over with his hands on his knees; it was a colossal tension release for those who heard.

Castell loved making people laugh being that unconditional happiness was a way of life to him, as he walked forward embracing Everett and saying, "How are you my brother; it has been too long—oh, before I forget, Warenz and Odin send their regards to you all; Odin especially said to say hello to young Mrs Scott." Smiling cheekily, he let go of Everett and continued, "Now, what has been happening on this great ship _Destiny_?" he asked.

They all walked off together and headed toward the observation deck as Everett replied, "Well, just the usual stuff—fighting unfriendly aliens, destroying planets, saving damsels in distress—you know how it is," now it was Castell's turn to laugh at Everett's light-hearted remarks.

They continued to make small talk and jokes until reaching the observation deck, with all of them smiling broadly. They all sat down around a large round table to the right hand side of the grand observation window, joining Te'arly who was watching over a peacefully sleeping Hadri'an in a stroller. Both Valhalla and Robina went straight to see Hadri'an and Te'arly, careful not to wake the cute little man, snuggled warm in his light blue blanket. (If you have children or grand-kids—like me—you will understand that feeling of watching them sleep; it's just inexplicably joyful and heart-warming...).

Te'arly seemed to have a glow about her that was immediately picked up by Valhalla and Robina, as they talked about how she was adjusting to raising Hadri'an on a starship, rather than a planet.

Valhalla was asking Te'arly, "Have you noticed any difference in how he seems to be developing in artificial gravity as opposed to being on a planet?"

Te'arly looked at Hadri'an as she spoke, "Well, funny you should ask that; I think _Destiny_ has been reducing the gravity force around him when he has tried to roll over or move, making it easier for him," she turned to face Valhalla, "And then slowly increased it back to normal as he gets stronger. A couple of times I have gone to pick him up and felt very light on my feet next to him," she smiled and gave a slight giggle. "I think it was _her _way of helping!"

Robina's expression was that of knowing something; as Valhalla noticed, she looked to Te'arly and back to her daughter, then back to Te'arly. Valhalla gently moved forward to Te'arly and placed her hand softly on her belly, looking into her eyes and said,

"Te'arly, do you know?"

Te'arly blushed slightly and smiled, quickly putting a finger to her lips and saying very quietly, "Shhh! I haven't told him yet," out of the sight of Everett who was now standing at the window rail with Castell.

Robina asked slightly confused but discretely, "Why? Was it not something you wanted?" Her question was based on her own idea, that creating a child was a gift of love between two partners, never unplanned or accidental; at least that was the way it was on Valeya. Sex was one thing, but having a child was a choice to be made by a couple, when they felt they were ready. She spared a thought for Captain Tez and Dr Adam Brody.

Te'arly had learned about Valeyian culture, and coupled with her own understandings from her home world, she didn't see the question as offensive or rude; she had a very valid reason for not telling Everett yet—she only found out herself a few hours earlier. "Um, it's not that I don't want to, I only found out this morning after I was late by a few days, and I haven't had him alone to give him the good news yet. I _know _he yearns to be a father once again to his own; he is already a father to Hadri'an, and loves him like his own son," Te'arly looked blissfully at Hadri'an, sound asleep.

Robina smiled at Te'arly, and reached for her hand saying, "Tell him—tell him now while we are here!" she squeezed her hand gently as she offered her encouragement.

Everett and Castell finally came back to the table and sat beside their respective partners, with Ev asking, "So what have you guys been gossiping about?"

Robina and Valhalla both looked at Te'arly with a reassuring smile and nodded for her to tell.

Te'arly grabbed Everett's hands and took a deep breath. "Honey," she paused looking for the words, "I think I might be pregnant again!"

Everett took in the news with a slightly stunned look that quickly turned to the realization that it was to him. His heart began to pound, staring at the woman who was his whole world, now pregnant with his child. The smile that broke from his face as the others watch on, was the most loving and blissful look that human anatomy is capable of. Words failed him as he half dragged her out of her seat and into his arms, forming an intimate embrace. Castell and his family cheered for them as Everett finally got some incoherent words out.

"Baby! Us? We're having a baby?!"

Te'arly held him tight and replied simply, "Yes my love, you and me are having a baby."

With both of them overwhelmed by emotion, the tears of joy began to flow freely. They kissed and cried on each other at their unexpected creation of life. It took several minutes to come down from their joyous high, back to the reality of everyday life on _Destiny_. After things had calmed down as much as they could, Castell had something he needed to tell Everett.

The six of them sat around the table and listened as Castell got their attention. "Everett, Te'arly; firstly, congratulations of a new beginning of life." He then became about as serious as he would ever get and said quietly, "There is something we need to tell you before you leave this galaxy."

Everett put away his joy for the moment, and focused his full attention on what Castell was about to say, adding, "Okay—my day is going well so far, you aren't going to spoil it are you?"

Castell smiled and shook his head, "No, but it may surprise you. We have been keeping a secret from you all though," he waited for Everett's body language to respond.

Ev asked quickly, "What sort of secret?" not too sure for the answer.

Castell held his cards for a while longer with his response, "Well to start with, let's talk about you. The gift I gave you outside the bridge before I was taken—well that may be somewhat permanent. On the bright side of that, you will keep your 'special' abilities for your lifetime, and be able to work on and enhance them greatly over that time. The darker side of that will be that you can see the outcomes of things at times, good or bad," he gave Everett a moment to take in the gravity of what he just said, before continuing. "And—well, these abilities are genetic. So there is a good chance they have been passed on," he said, motioning to Te'arly with a slight hand gesture and smile.

Everett looked to Te'arly who replied to him and Castell, "That's not so bad; the fact that we know will allow us to give guidance to our child when the need arises." She seemed unfazed by Castell's prelude to what is to come.

Everett looked hard at his friend and asked, "But there is something else too, isn't there?"

Castell's smile was replaced with a look of minor concern, but not that of a great revelation. "I have to be honest with you Everett, you are a true friend to me; one who has proven beyond a doubt how much you care about me and my family, and people in general." He took a deep breath and finally allowed Everett and Te'arly to feel what they had sensed for some time.

"Our people, including all those you have met, did in fact ascend."

* * *

><p>Everett somehow knew, but hearing it from Castell brought a very real conformation of it, followed by a feeling of disappointing anger of being lied to. "You told us that you chose not to, now you say you have? I don't get it; what's the catch?"<p>

Castell sighed, "My friend, there was no catch. We ascended, we chose to retake human form; although we were able to keep most of our ascended abilities. We are who we said we are, the ancestors of the one's you know as Ancients, and for that matter the Ori, but as for being completely human, well..." Castell conceded that Everett would be somewhat pissed at him for a while, but he knew in his heart that all relationships go through rocky periods. Everett was a good man and Castell had struggled with keeping this secret from him since they met. What Everett didn't know was why, and that would be his next question.

Everett, resting his elbows on the table, placed his hands on the sides of his head and rubbed his temples before looking deep into Castell's eyes and saying something that would cut Castell to his very core, "That hurt Castell; why didn't you trust me? It would not have made a difference as to how I treated you, or what we would have done for you and your people. I don't understand—was this all part of some kind of test?" Ev was really feeling shattered that Castell didn't trust him enough to tell him.

Te'arly placed her hand on Everett's leg, giving it a gentle squeeze of empathy. She looked to Castell and asked sincerely, "But being taken, could you not have helped yourself?"

Castell looked at his own wife who nodded for him to give the answer. "No, I really did need your help. I let them take me because I knew I could survive whatever they threw at me, and I know that had they taken you or one of your crew, they would not have. I did it to protect all of you. Genesis didn't care who he took, he just wanted revenge for whoever was standing against him. It was just sort of luck that I was on _Destiny_ at the time he come to collect."

Ev looked at Te'arly, then turned back to Castell saying, "I doubt luck had anything to do with it—you would have known he was coming. At least be honest with me about that!" He was angry, but then something came back to his mind and he realized there was another way to see this from. His next words were far more sombre as he looked Castell directly in the eyes saying, "I'm sorry about Genesis; I know he was family."

Castell took a deep sigh and nodded. "I know. Unfortunately there is no helping someone who has reached the point of no return. He was so corrupted by the power, not even I could have helped him come back from there. Don't be hard on yourself because of me Everett, you made the right choice to stop him." Even Valhalla and Robina nodded their agreement. Castell smiled at Everett and said sincerely, "I'm sorry too Ev, for keeping this from you. You and your people are good and decent and we should have trusted you." There was mutual understanding and acceptance in both men.

Ev asked him, "What about the fate of your world; I mean, you guys obviously have the power to change it?"

Castell answered him honestly. "It is not up to us to interfere with the workings of the universe, even when a galaxy is swallowing your own. We will stay human until it is time to ascend again, but there is a little surprise we have left for your good friend, Jack O'Neill."

Everett was really curious now, "Now you have to tell me, or I won't be able to sleep!" he said with a cheeky smile.

Valhalla wanted to answer, so Castell allowed her to tell. "Our daughter," she looked at Robina, "would like to move to Earth and teach our ways and technology. She will also bring our history and understanding of all things we know about the universe, and of course, our technology—everything to be shared." She rubbed her daughter's arm affectionately and added, "She would also like to find love, and have a family of her own one day."

Te'arly beamed a huge smile and said, "She won't have any shortage of men competing for her affections, that's for sure!"

The stunning Robina blushed and covered her face for a moment, before breaking into laughter. "Thank you Te'arly."

Ev stared at his good friend for a moment before saying, "I'm going to miss you, all of you."

Castell laughed, "Oh Ev, you think so three dimensional sometimes. Just because you're crossing the void doesn't mean I can't drop in occasionally. We have many ways of catching up with you; eventually you will grow strong enough to call over great distance. You'll see, just give it time. Just remember this; friends never leave, they just go different places..."

In another part of _Destiny_, Nick and Amanda were half working, half talking about what was to come and what they both wanted.

Nick said, "I have left permission with Ev to get me out if they really need my help at any stage; not that I'm expecting anything to go wrong with _Destiny_, but you never know. The question is, would you like to be out with me, or stay in stasis?"

Amanda thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know Nick. The thought of a long stay in stasis does scare me somewhat and I have to say, I'm not sure yet if I'm willing to do it. Give me some more time to think about it."

Nick knew better than to push her, after all, it was his mistake in the first place for how she ended up last time. "Okay, we still have a couple of days to think about it," and he left it at that.

Chloe was busy making plans for a nursery corner in her and Matt's quarters, when Matt came in, sneaking up behind her and putting his arms around her waist.

Chloe giggled as he whispered in her ear, "I love you Mrs Scott, want to have my babies?"

She turned in his arms to face him and passionately kissed him for several moments, after which she said while rubbing her nose against his, "Are you suggesting I should be naughty with you, Captain Scott? What would my husband think?"

Matt smiled and corrected her, "I am your husband and I would think you should be very, very naughty with me!"

They fell on the bed together, laughing, and were soon enough back to kissing as Chloe began to rip off her clothes after pushing Matt down and climbing over him. As she sat there in her lacy black bra, reaching up she untied her long dark hair, allowing it to fall behind her. Chloe bent forward and placed her hands on Matt's strong shoulders.

She said honestly to him, "I want us to stay out of stasis. I don't want to be pregnant and in stasis; it would mean I was pregnant for twenty two years, and I have no idea if that would harm our babies in anyway."

Matt could feel her grinding against him, but remained focused on what she was asking. "I've been concerned about that too, but Eli and Nick assured me it will not cause any harm to you or the twins."

Chloe used her body to get the answer she wanted, as she rubbed herself harder across his pants. "You won't be able to feel this in stasis..." and with that she removed the obstacles in her way and began to make love with her husband.

They lay together sometime later with Matt saying, "Making love with me is not going to make up my mind, you know!"

Chloe ran her hand across his body sensually, "Oh really?" she asked in a sexy voice, "I beg to differ," and she began to kiss her way across his chest

Matt smiled at her persistence with him and added, "You know we're going to be twenty two years older than everyone else when they come out, doesn't that bother you?"

Chloe stopped teasing him and laid her head on his chest. "What does it matter if we get old sooner or later? I want our kids to grow up around other children, and if we wait, then the others will have grown up already. I don't really care about getting old, and at least this way, my mom may have a chance to meet her grandchildren. If we go in, she might never get that chance."

Matt could see how important this was to her and knew that as long as they were together, he would be happy too; happy wife, happy life. "Okay," he said trying to sound defeated, although Chloe saw through it immediately and smiled, "We'll stay out."

Chloe snuggled into him, "I love you..."

* * *

><p>Standing in front of the observation deck window in his full dress uniform, Everett held Te'arly's hands in his as he tried hard to take in her exquisite beauty. Valhalla and Robina had dressed her in a stunning gold lace and white silk strapless dress that accentuated he womanly curves, and flowed nearly five feet behind her. Castell stood before them performing a traditional Valeyian wedding ceremony, as everyone onboard watched on.<p>

Castell announced, "Everett, you have made a commitment to Te'arly above all others; do you do this of your own free will?"

He couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his face, "Yes, I do," he answered quietly.

Castell then asked, "Te'arly, you have made a commitment to Everett above all others; do you do this of your own free will?"

Te'arly answered through her own tears, "Yes, I do," she was lost in his love.

Castell was fighting to hold back his own feelings of joy for them. "According to the free wills of these two people, they have committed into unconditional love for each other, for all eternity. May respect and understanding be their essence, may passion be their joy, and may unconditional love hold them to each other, even through passing."

He paused for a moment then said, "Under Valeyian understanding, and before all of these good persons,"

"I now pronounce you to be husband and wife!"

Castell smiled at Everett saying quietly, "Well, what are you waiting for, kiss her!"

Music rang out as they embraced in a romantic kissing session, not even hearing the loud cheers from the crowd of friends before them. They turned and walked into a rice shower past the very people who had become family to them. Then the night was filled with laughter, dancing, eating and drinking; but most of all, hope. Hope for a safe journey across the void, and the future that lay beyond aboard the Ancient ship, _Destiny_...

EPILOGUE:

In the days that passed before _Destiny_ left the Valeyian galaxy, only a handful of the crew elected to stay out: Everett, Te'arly and Hadrian; Eli, Ginn, and Lala; Chloe and Matt; also TJ and Varro, who were trying for their own children. Ev and Te'arly found out a few weeks after that they were having a daughter, and about six months later, finally TJ and Varro announced they were having a son.

Camille and Vanessa returned to Earth through _Destiny_'s Stargate, with both of them being treated like rock star heroes on their return. Job offers came from everywhere for both of them, but in the end they started their own business teaching and preparing both military and civilian people for life on star-ships in deep space. Although they did miss the life on _Destiny_ sometimes, they were happy to be on solid ground, back on Earth.

Once a year Nick and Amanda would come out of stasis for a week, just to ensure _Destiny_ was functioning as she should, and also to catch up on anything that may have happened. They soon became known to the now growing children as 'Uncle Nick, and Aunty Amanda' who only came around for Christmas.

Adam Brody and Captain Tez "borrowed" an _F-302V_ and returned to Tez's homeworld to help with the rebuilding after the Ori's destruction. They passed a message through _Apollo 2011_ to say they had made it safely, and apologized for stealing the _302_. Everett thought it a small price to pay for their happiness. They got out an occasional subspace message to say hello.

With the help of Robina, Earth's technology soon superseded even that of the Asgard, along with the teachings of Ascension for those who desired to do so. Jack was eternally grateful for her help in advancing mankind, he remained semi-retired until well into his eighties. When he finally retired due to poor health, Robina finally first convinced him—then helped him to ascend before his passing. She too, eventually found love with a man who was a descendant of the Ancients and carried a longevity gene that would allow him to stay with her for their natural lives. He was the son of Colonel Sheppard that he had never known about—there was also an issue of just exactly which timeline or universe his father came from.

Colonel Cameron Mitchell, became Brigadier General Mitchell and took control of the SGC after General Landry retired a few years after the Ori war. This was a position he kept until his own retirement some twenty or so years later. Daniel Jackson finally got together with Vala and tried for a normal life; a year later they were back at the SGC out on missions again—it seemed "a normal life" just didn't cut it for them. They retired back on Earth soon after their return as Vala had fallen pregnant.

Colonel Samantha Carter was recognized for her outstanding service to the Air Force, and to the people of many different worlds. She was promoted to the rank of Major General, and given several awards for Valour under Off World Combat. She traveled on many ships to different worlds, manly as a liaison to Earth, and still assisted in technical engineering of ship design after her retirement in 2028 at the age of 60. Sam and Jack O'Neill had finally surrendered to their feelings for each other and married in 2021, remaining together until Jack's ascension. Robina helped Sam to ascend a few years later. It was rumored that both Jack and Sam retook human form sometime later, and lived a simplistic lifestyle in a small community on a distant planet in the Milky Way galaxy—one without a Stargate.

It was around Lala's eighth birthday that Eli and Ginn began to see what they had always thought; something was very different about her. She was showing abilities beyond any child her age and any human. Many times they had caught her playing by herself and talking to _Destiny_ about different worlds that they had never heard of; Eli had just put it down to her imagination, but the detail in which she spoke was uncanny. Finally they started to see these worlds appear, some as rouge planets in the void, some around dwarf stars with several close in planets outside of galaxies. They knew then that there was something very special about their beloved daughter. On the day of her eighth birthday this had become really apparent when Eli and Ginn placed her present down on the table and Lala moved it to where she was sitting through telekinesis, several feet away. "Thank you mommy and daddy" she said smiling at their open mouthed expressions. Could she be the one who brought harmony to all? Eli remembered the vision he had seen after talking with Lady _Destiny_ in the database room; in his own heart, he already knew the answer.

As goodbye was said to all those going into stasis, those staying out could only imagine what the years to come would bring. _Destiny_ would refuel skimming through many suns along her path and had plotted a course that would take them across time, close to the outside of several galaxies with appropriate suns to refuel on, in case it was needed sooner. This had added nearly 25 million light-years to her journey, but it would keep her precious cargo safe. After the last hug and handshake, the stasis pods were sealed. _Destiny_ shut down many unnecessary systems and decks, going into power conservation mode. They had one last thing to finish, a trip around a star to refuel.

As Eli stood watching the blue waves of time go past on the observation deck, he smiled looking out over _Destiny_'s shielded hull. Remembering back, he turned to see Everett and the others standing beside him.

_This time, he would not be alone..._

Lady Destiny appeared behind everyone and walked up to the rail saying to all,

"Let's see what lies beyond..."

_Destiny_ vanished into the distance.

* * *

><p>"For Steph"<p>

(1988 to 2012)

We all miss you, especially your daughter Krystal. Your gift of organ donation saved the lives of 4 others."

Our love always,

Steve, Robyn, Ben and Krystal


End file.
